Halo
by Aluxra
Summary: DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

**Due to the surprising number of demand - and I stress _demand_! --' I am writing another HaoYoh fic. **

**It is another AU - this time its about Angels and Demons, with some mentions of the Christian Hierarchy of Angels and the Levels of Hell in later chapters. It also has mentions of various demons from other cultures, because I like variety and different myths. If you don't like reading about such things, then I suggest you don't read this story.**

**Other than that, if you want to read: please do so. The toll is one review each per chapter. lol.**

**Disclaimer: I no own, so you no sue.**

**Summary: Hao (demon) takes Yoh (angel) for his pet. Unknown to him, Yoh has a mission to complete involving Hao. Problem - it's difficult to complete his task when he's starting to fall in love, even if it's with a demon... Title came from Beyonce's Halo - I like the song, but I don't know if it'll play a bigger part in the story, so meh.**

**--- WARNING: Yaoi! ---**

* * *

Hao strolled along the shadowed path through the woods, the wind wailing through the trees with such a force it turned the usual peaceful rustling of the leaves into a dull roar: he was not welcomed there. However, the Wood Spirits wouldn't do anything to him – they wouldn't dare, as they cowered in their trees and glared at him harmlessly from the branches. They resided close to one of the Shadow-Portals, one of only fifty two in the world and wouldn't risk attacking a Demon this close to his own territory, where his power increased tenfold to its maximum potential.

A pair of young teenagers appeared in his path, laughing and kissing with exuberance as they stumbled along the dirt trail, oblivious to Hao's presence. He was invisible to them, his heavy black boots making no sound as he slid past them, stealing precious heat from their bodies as he did so to feed his fire.

'Oh, I'm cold,' the girl shivered, pulling her tiny denim jacket tighter around her. 'Let's go somewhere warmer.'

'We could go back to my place?' the boy offered, winking as he looped his arm around the girl. 'No one else is in.'

Hao snorted in disgust as the two made their way quickly along to the exit, where they would quickly meet the large, overcrowded streets of the city. The Demon's walked so inconspicuously among its crowds, invisible except for the sensations they provided – like Hao had done with the girl – when they took their energies from them. However, they were not invisible to _them_: Hao growled, his mood darkening when he thought of his enemies and their legions of followers. They watched over the world carefully, scrutinizing every Demon that walked into their vision from their pedestals high on the roofs.

The Angels.

Winged beings like him, except they were bathed in light while he and his kind skulked in the shadows of the world: they hunted each other with a vengeance, the Angels simply killing the Demons if need be, while Demons were a lot more… creative when it came to their victories. Hao smirked, remembering the last battle he was involved with nearly twenty years ago and well over 5000 miles away: his opponent was fierce, with a fiery determination that impressed Hao. The Fire Demon had honestly enjoyed the fight, when they battled for hours above the spiraling towers of the New York skyscrapers at dizzyingly soaring altitudes. It was when the last rays of sunlight were strewn across the sky in a hazy crimson red and night began to creep in that Hao lashed out at the angel and sent him spiraling down onto the high rooftops.

It had been a good fight, and Hao acknowledged it openly to the Angel before he killed him – no torture, no taunting – an honorable, quick death that concluded the fight. It was the second time in his life that he had done such a thing, and only the first that he chose to remember the name of the defeated. He shook his head, the long dark bangs falling over his face as he pushed the thought, the image of the one he defeated, to the back of his mind. He had no time for that, and it was so long ago: he was too busy in the present, and at present, a scream reached his ears.

He immediately straightened, tilting his head to one side as he listened for another scream: it came as more of a shout, a cry of shock and panic that was fairly close by. He thought for a moment: depending on what was making those delicious sounds, he could either walk away or join in the fun when he found out what it was. His lips turned into a feral smile as he leaped with ease up into the branches, sending a small group of woodland spirits scattering as he strode from tree branch to tree branch, his acute hearing leading him straight to the source of the noises. He needn't walk very far, as a group of Thorn Demons crowded around a smaller figure, leering disgustingly at whatever it was. Hao slid down the thick trunk of the tree with ease, landing on the lowest branch just above the Thorn's heads as he saw what exactly was being tormented. His eyes widened in shock and interest as he saw what they were terrorizing: a young male.

He clearly wasn't human, otherwise they wouldn't be able to touch him, but he had no other physical attributes that linked him to any other race. Regardless, Hao was intrigued as to why the boy looked so much like him, except with the more ethereal beauty that surrounded him. His exact features were difficult to make out from this angle, but he would soon remedy that as the Thorn's advanced on the helpless boy: one held his arms behind his back at a bone-breaking angle, forcing him to lean forward to alleviate the pressure as the others ran their spiky hands over his face and neck, creeping under his shirt and tearing it with their thick, sharp spines. He whimpered, trying to jerk away as they laughed, jeering and making crude remarks in their own tongue as the largest of the group – clearly the leader – slipped his hand down the slim body and toyed with the zip of his jeans. The boy cried out, renewing his efforts to get away as he felt the material slid down his thighs.

'Ahem,' Hao cleared his throat loudly, causing all eyes to turn to him as he casually leaned against the tree, folding his arms in front of his chest. The Thorn-Leader growled at him, speaking to him in his own language, the words indistinguishable as everything came out as the sound of dry twigs and branches snapping.

'_**Do not interfere where you are not wanted,**__'_ he snarled. _'__**There is only enough for us to enjoy.'**_

'I don't recall giving my inferiors permission to speak to me in that way,' Hao replied coolly, staring down at them. The Thorn's growled, the one that was holding the young male releasing him as they all turned to Hao: he cocked his head to one side. 'Or do you not know to whom you are speaking to?'

He jumped down from his perch elegantly as two majestic wings unfolded from his back, spreading out on either side till he blocked the whole path with them. They were exact duplicates of a bat's in structure, except much larger with a ebony black skeleton that branched out into four spines that the membrane-thin blood red skin attached to. A large, threatening hooked claw jutted out at the "wrist" joint of either wing, and gossamer scarlet membrane cast a bloody sheen over the ground where the sunlight filtered through, intensifying his presence. He shook the appendages gently, relieving the tension in them as the lower Demons stepped back. The look of fear was evident across their faces as they finally recognized him, cowed by the Fire Demon who stood before them.

'F-Forgive us,' the Thorn croaked in Japanese, bowing low at the waist as he trembled with fear. 'We… we did not recognize you, oh gr-great Demon of Flame… please, spare us… Great Hao… Hao-sama!'

'You insult me and you attack my property,' he said slowly, glancing at the object of both their desires. 'I simply cannot just let you live.'

'Ah… oh, we beg you…' they panicked, two of them dropping to their knees and staring at the ground, the others cowering at the back of the group. Hao was thoroughly amused at the sight as he shifted his weight to one leg, looking idle and uncaring as he examined his nails.

'Although,' he began with agonizing slowness, glancing up at them again and smiling. 'I guess I am in quite a merciful mood today…'

'Ah, thank you… oh, powerful Hao-sama,' they gasped, leaping to their feet and hurrying along the path, bowing to him and tripping over themselves as they tried to escape the place as fast as possible. Hao gazed after them, his smirk never wavering as they suddenly stopped, their bodies quivering violently as the young male stared wide eyed at the spectacle in front of him.

'However, take more than five steps,' Hao said, his pupils shrinking down to nothing. '_And you burn from the inside out_.'

The Demons screamed in agony as they fell to the ground, scratching and clawing at their skin as if they were trying to get rid of something disgusting. They flailed wildly; the screams becoming louder until they were screeching in pain, their bodies turning crimson as the skin broke and flames rose from the deep bloody caverns, licking at the split skin until it crawled across the blackening skin, making it curl up like scraps of old paper. The screams died down quickly to nothing as the incinerated mounds of incarcerated flesh stopped moving, leaving black mounds of stinking corpses scattered across the path; thick, green goo seeped out like bloody pus from the deep tears in the dead tissue.

Hao admired his handiwork with pride for a moment or two – he had a flair for the dramatics, he'd admit. However, he had other things to take care of as he turned to the stricken boy who was still staring at what once was the Thorn Demons: he smirked, stepping closer to the brunette and crouching down beside him.

'I can see why they wanted you,' he mused, the scent of innocence of overwhelmingly luscious he could taste it on his tongue. Demonic and angelic senses were heightened beyond those of any other mortal or immortal race of beings, making everything they see and hear and taste all the more sharper, and all the sweeter. The boy looked at him, as if seeing him for the first time and was motionless for a moment.

Then he screamed, pushing Hao away blindly as he scrambled to get away from the Demon, crawling back shakily as Hao watched him with blank features, unfazed by his attempt on knocking him back. Lazily, he stood up as his wings folded back in, growing smaller and smaller until they shifted back under his shirt, being reabsorbed into the skin on his back until they returned to a full-back colour tattoo as he followed the brunette, gazing unwaveringly at him. The boy was shaking, meeting his gaze fearfully with dark eyes as Hao reached down and grabbed his arms, pulling him to his feet. He flinched at the contact, but stood still as Hao pulled his jeans back onto his hips and zipped them back up, straightening his clothes again before stepping back and staring at him again.

'You're now mine,' he stated simply, and grabbed his arm again, this time much more tightly.

'I'm… what?' he whispered: his voice was harsh and forced, as if he hadn't used it in a long time. 'I'm not…'

'I saved your life, it now belongs to me,' Hao said strongly, leaving hardly any room for arguments as he grinned, enjoying the look on the boys face as he registered what was said to him.

'Everything about you belongs you me,' he added, letting his gaze dance all over the smaller body in front of him, making the boy blush. 'What's your name?'

'My name… my name, is Yoh,' he said quietly, and Hao could still feel him trembling in his grip. Yoh was exquisite, like a more delicate, softer version of himself: the silky smooth skin was unblemished and fair, his willowy body toned with slim arms and legs that bore neither scratch nor scar. His shredded shirt allowed Hao to glance at the softly defined muscles of his torso and abdomen. His body held a more feminine essence in Hao's eyes as the slender waist curved into perfectly rounded hips that gave way to lean, shapely legs shrouded in tight fitting black denims. Hao thoroughly agreed with this choice in clothing, though he'd prefer to see what else was underneath the rough material. His gaze returned northwards, taking in sharp line of Yoh's clavicle as he continued up the porcelain neck to the curve of his jaw before he rested his eyes on Yoh's face, drinking in every little detail.

Large dark orbs stared back at him as his eyes raked over every inch of Yoh's face, memorizing the soft, full lips that begged to be kissed and the shaped chocolate brown eyes that hardly dared glance away for fear of what he'd do next. His bottom lip trembled, pouting slightly as he tried to back away from Hao and his intense gaze: the demon refused to have any of that, yanking him back forcefully so their bodies were flush-up against each other and smirked as the other blushed, his short dark brown bangs falling across his eyes. Hao couldn't resist running his hand through the short velvet tresses, the strands slipping through his fingers like silk. He grinned, lifting Yoh up bridal style before he could blink, surprising the smaller boy.

'What are you doing?' he squeaked, grabbing onto Hao's shirt tightly in surprise.

'I told you,' he said coolly, beginning to walk down the path he came. 'You belong to me; therefore, I'm taking you back to my residence.'

'You can't!' Yoh gasped, beginning to struggle in his arms, though it was useless: his grip was like iron. Hao rolled his eyes, shifting one arm so his hand crept up towards Yoh's neck, pressing sharply on the pressure point there and knocking him out quickly. He went limp in his arms and Hao continued down the path back towards the Shadow-Portal, smirking at how the day had turned out – looks like he had a new pet.

*#*#*#*#*#*#*

'I don't know, it seems a bit risky,' the Ice Angel muttered, shifting from one foot to the other as they watched from their hidden perch away from the commotion that had just ensued.

'Look, we know the Demons are planning something,' one of his companions snapped, shooting him a golden-eyed glare. 'He volunteered and anyway, if it gets too dangerous we just swoop in and get him.'

'Swooping is a lot more difficult than you think it is,' the blue haired Angel muttered, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

'Only because you slept through half the semester of Flying 101,' the last of the three commented, running a hand through his green hair. 'Come on, we better get back and report.'

'Why did we have to fly so far away from the Light-Portal?' he whined, as his dusky blue feathered wings unfurled from his back.

'Oh well, I don't know… maybe because it would look suspicious, or the fact that the Demon never wanders too close to the Light Portals?' the Storm Angel growled, his own wings flapping steadily as he prepared to take off, his green haired companion following him closely as the three ascended into the sky and sped back to the Gateway that would take them home.

* * *

R&R my freaky darlings?


	2. Chapter 2

**Two updated stories in two days - I must be mental... and you'll probably have another story updated tomorrow...**

**Anyway, I'm tired and I'm about to lose an hour of sleep when the clocks go forward, so here's an update...**

* * *

Hao passed through the portal, entering the Shadow Lands that were his home, as it was to many a demon. The dry earth beneath his feet stretched for miles in front and behind him, stemming from the giant Gateway that sat in the very centre of the land. The impenetrable, carved stone Gates could be seen from anywhere in the Shadow Lands, the twisted faces and mutilated creatures that were set in the stone watched hauntingly over the very outskirts of its domain, from the Dead Forests that housed black, empty trees to the Fiend Cities that were scattered across the domain.

Hao glanced at the Gates of Hell briefly before he unfurled his wings again and took flight across the dusty land, his pet grasped tightly in his arms. The dull red ground became a blur beneath him as he flew higher into the grey clouds that constantly blocked the weak sun: Hao flew west, towards the Ocean of the Shadow Lands. His home was situated close to the boiling waters of the Ocean of Fire, partially secluded from the crowded cities and far from the Gates of Hell, though it was still a black spot on the horizon, ever watching its Demon residents. Hao glanced down as he passed across the largest forest of the Shadow Lands, the remains of Earths Amazon's fallen trees by man's greed, the distorted, knurled branches crawling with sinister looking creatures. Red eyes glared up at him, screeching wildly as he flew past them. Ignoring everything, he dipped lower to the ground, the sound of the roaring waves reaching his ears as he came closer to the coastline: his home was set up a high cliff overlooking the swirling grey waters, where leviathans and Melusine's(1) lurked in the deep.

The large, brooding structure lay close to the ground, composing of only two or three story's, though it lay across a large patch of earth: weeds and yellowed grass decorated the acres of gardens, deadened, thorny rose bushes lining the broken paths. He circled around to the back of the mansion, landing on the balcony with an open sliding glass door, scarlet sheer curtains fluttering in the salty air: despite it being known as the Ocean of Fire, it was cool here. His wings retreated into his back as he stepped into the master bedroom, striding over to his bed. Laying Yoh upon the soft, silken quilt, he pulled an extra cover over the young brunette, watching his gentle face. He smiled, and climbed off the bed, moving to close the large screen to keep out the chill and the noise.

Hao knew he wouldn't wake up for a while, so he crept out of the room quietly, closing the heavy wooden door behind him and locking it behind him, slipping the chain that held the key around his neck. He stretched his arms above his head, laughing at how the day had turned out: he'd have to learn more about the boy when he woke up; it wasn't much fun if they didn't respond. He was about to head down to the kitchen when a loud crash came from elsewhere in the house, and he cringed.

'Mari thinks you're a hateful, mean slut!' a screech reached his ears, followed by another crash. 'He was _my toy_!'

'You should learn to share!' was the retort, and a scream of rage followed it. Hao growled, gritting his teeth – they would end up waking Yoh at this rate. He stalked down the stairs, following the noise as he passed Nichrome, a Scorpion Demon, on his way down. The light haired demon grinned, his armoured tail flicking lazily around his feet.

'Mari and Macchi,' he said, though Hao didn't need to be told who it was – the two younger succubae that shared his home were always arguing, the oldest – Kana, the blue haired femme fatale – didn't partake in such trivial arguments. He sighed, continuing down the lined stairway: the house was fairly secluded, but that didn't mean he was alone in his home… how fortunate.

* * *

Yoh whimpered, his head was hurting and he was mildly disorientated: he kept his eyes closed, white spots flashing across his vision. He remembered the meeting with the demon, and what had been said: he was to be a pet. He groaned, pressing the heel of his palm against his forehead as he slowly opened his deep brown eyes: a striking red light hit his eyes, and he shut them instantly. He was unsure of how long he'd been out for, as he tried again to open his eyes, adjusting to the strong light: he guessed it was nearing sunset, as he looked around the room he was in.

He was lying in a large, four poster bed: the deep, polished mahogany was carved with intricate Celtic knots and designs, the colour complimenting the deep claret of the silken bed sheets and hangings. He was situated between two large, arched windows: one led to a balcony, though both were curtained with flimsy red drapes. The rest of the room, though spacious, was rather minimalistic: a double door across the room from him was what he guessed to be the exit to the room, while a second door was off to the right. The room was an en suite. A small night stand was to the left of the bed, and his line of vision moved to the black wardrobe. The three main walls were painted red, with one black wall behind him: a large bookcase and sound system stood side by side, looking out of place in a demons bedroom.

'Ah, you're awake.' Yoh jumped and looked wildly around, resting upon the fire demon that sat upon a comfortable chair near the door he had just walked through: Yoh hadn't even heard him come in, nor the door click shut as he'd done so: the demon smirked, tilting his head to look at Yoh.

Yoh blushed: the demon was gorgeous, a stronger, more assertive version of himself. He was dressed entirely in black: an ebony vest that exposed his defined arms and rose up on his stomach to show off the noticeable abdominal muscles, and tight leather pants that refused to rise above his hips that were tucked into heavy chain-and-buckle boots. A gold hoop hung from his right ear, and fingerless leather gloves covered his pale hands: he wasn't as slim as Yoh, his muscles well shaped and striking under his skin.

He looked at Yoh with startling dark eyes the colour of night, the smile never wavering from his thin lips as he shifted in his seat slightly, stretching his lean legs and giving Yoh a brief view of how tight the pants really were. Yoh's blush darkened and his gaze quickly returned to the sharpened angles of his face, which was framed by a dark cascade of satin-soft black-brown hair. He pulled himself off the chair and sauntered casually over to the bed: Yoh instantly moved, sliding across the bed and out from underneath the covers in a second, heading towards the balcony.

A sharp pain in his head registered as he was pushed against the wall: the Demon was fast. He pinned Yoh against the cold wall, forcing his hands above his head and holding them there by the wrists in one strong hand. Pressing one leather-clad knee between his legs, his free hand rested upon the bare patch of skin just below the clavicle where the shirt had been torn away from. Hao grinned, feeling the smaller tremble against him as he pushed himself closer to his body, enjoying the squeak of surprise the came from those delicious lips as Yoh's breathing became laboured and shallow. He removed his hand from the heaving chest, gently placing two fingers beneath his chin and tipped his head up so their eyes met.

'You would be extremely stupid to try and run from me,' he said softly, his breath tickling Yoh's cheek. 'You're my pet, remember?'

'You're a Demon,' he whispered, swallowing. 'Demon's "pet's" don't live too long…'

'Not necessarily,' Hao replied, smiling. 'So what being of Light are you – you're not human, since you can travel through the Portals.'

Yoh bit his lip, saying nothing about his heritage. Hao rolled his eyes, pushing himself back from Yoh slightly to look over him, trying to distinguish any markings that would show what race he was: there was nothing on his skin that Hao could see – he half expected him to be some sort of Nymph, with nature tattoos crawling up and down their arms and legs since he was found in the forest with a bunch of dim witted Thorn Demons chasing after his ass. Hao frowned, his instincts sharpening as he considered something all Demons dreaded and boasted about – trapping an Angel in his lair.

The problem with Angels was they wouldn't simply attack a Demon just for breathing in their direction (at least, most of them wouldn't), they would only attack if necessary, such as self defense. As long as Demon's caused neither them nor humans much bother, the Angels mostly left them alone unless provoked - and kidnapping one of them, while it may gain the Demon great respect in the Shadow Lands, counted as provoking them. Hao stared at Yoh for some time, considering examining his back to find out the truth: he pulled him away from the wall and went to remove his shirt when there was a knock at the door and a small puffing sound told him the last of his homes residents had entered his room.

'Hao-sama,' Opacho chirped, her small black wings beating softly to levitate her from the ground. 'Two Hone(2) are here to… oh.'

She trailed off, catching sight of Yoh: they stared at each other past Hao, Opacho tilting her head to one side as she looked at him before smiling. 'You're pretty – who are you?'

'Opacho – tell them I'll be with him in a second,' Hao ordered none too subtly, jerking his head towards the door as a way of telling the young Vampire to leave. Opacho pouted, disliking being left out by Hao, but she nodded and disappeared once again in a puff of smoke before she hit the door. Hao glanced back at Yoh, considering what to do: he released the brunette, and turned towards the door.

'If you try to escape,' he warned darkly, glancing over his shoulder at him, 'I'll kill you.'

Yoh heard the key turn in the lock, trapping him in Hao's bedroom until the Demon returned: he waited several minutes until he was sure Hao wasn't going to return anytime soon before he reached down and extracted something from inside his shoe. He held a small crystal earring between his thumb and index finger, and, finding the small hole in his earlobe with his free hand, he slid the thin gold point into the flesh and waited for acknowledgement. He heard white noise for a moment, before a voice spoke to him as if they were standing right beside him.

'_Yoh, is that you?_'

'Mm hmm,' he answered, minimizing his speech in case he was being watched or listened to.

'_What in the Three Spheres took so long? I'm having a heart attack practically waiting for your call!'_

'_Ha ha – you sound like such a girl that's been stood up,'_ another voice entered the conversation.

'_Shut up Horo!_' The first voice hissed. _'Yoh, have you learned anything yet?'_

'Only that he wants me as his pet!' he whispered, barely moving his lips as he went and sat on the edge of the bed. 'What if he tries to…'

'_You knew the risks of this mission,'_ Lyserg reminded him quietly. _'But if anything like that happens, it won't stop you from returning home and hopefully we'll have found out enough information before that happens.'_

'I don't know where to begin,' Yoh said, an edge of worry entering his voice. 'I can't ask him straight out and I doubt he has a filing cabinet labeled "Secret Evil Plans of Demonic World Domination" where I can find all I need to know.'

'_You may get lucky, he could be a well organized Demon,_' Horo added.

'_Shut up, Horo!_' Lyserg snapped again, this time echoed by Ren, who was staying close by to them. '_Just keep calm and stay safe – we want you back alive.'_

'Thanks, I'll try and stay in touch with updates,' Yoh promised. 'Be safe, guys.'

'_You should talk,'_ Ren answered, making Yoh laugh a little before unhooking the earring from his ear and slipping it back into his shoe. Yawning, he slipped them off and pushed them under the bed, before lying back down on the soft bed, tired and still sporting a headache. He easily fell asleep.

* * *

'Faust, Eliza,' Hao welcomed as he entered the lounge, sitting on the armchair opposite where the two lovers sat on the large sofa. Eliza smiled, the glamour barely concealing her true form as Faust reclined against the plush velvet, having already been served a glass of red wine.

'They are getting restless, Hao,' he stated, taking a sip of the burgundy liquid and smiling. 'I love drinking in this place – only the best is served.'

'I'll make sure to send you a casket of my finest, and it is not my fault everyone is so damn impatient in this place,' he replied coolly, the fire in the hearth roaring to life and casting a deep orange glow around the large room.

'It's not just in the Shadow Lands – there are whispers from beyond the Gate: those who fell millennia ago want to break free,' Faust explained, glancing out the window behind Hao to see the black blot in the distance, barely recognizable from this distance. He paused, wondering how to continue. 'Some are wondering why this is taking such a long time…'

'They are questioning me?' Hao asked, raising an eyebrow. Faust shifted in his seat, uncomfortable all of a sudden.

'There are some even Higher than yourself who are concerned about… well, they seem uncertain about you and… your loyalties,' Faust finished, bracing himself for the wrath of a fire demon. Hao didn't disappoint.

'My _loyalties_?' he demanded, jumping up in anger as the fire grew to dangerous levels as he continued to shout, ornaments and books shaking on their surfaces as the ground beneath them began to quake. 'Loyalty means nothing here: my power is the only thing they should be worrying about! They may be the descendants of the Forty-Two Fallen(3) but they are but a mere shadow of true strength – the wings on my back and the horns on my head should be enough proof of where my loyalties lie! I am not the only one planning this – the idiots that question me have every part in this as much as I do, I just so happen to be the only one with a brain in this damn Realm!'

He drew in a deep breath, pausing in his rant and exhaled as the room stopped shaking and the heat died down. He turned back to the two Skeletons, who had not moved from their places on the sofa, quite used to Hao's outbursts. Faust downed the rest of his drink and set the glass on the table, smiling slightly at Hao.

'You know what they are like,' he said simply. 'They are just impatient and turn on each other when things go slow.'

'What about you – do you turn on others when things get slow?' Hao asked, glaring at him. Faust's smile grew wider.

'It's in my best interest not to turn on anyone,' he replied, shrugging. 'Bad for business.'

Hao made a non committal sound in the back of his throat, folding his arms across his chest and turning his head away: Faust was probably the only one who Hao openly spoke to, since the Hone-Oni was the one who had found him so many centuries ago, battered and broken on the edge of the Shadow Lands in the bay that his home now looked down upon. It was Faust who had learned the shocking truth about him when Hao had no memories of his past: he had been no older than a small child, confused and alone but Faust and Eliza had raised him for the first hundred years, teaching him as much as they could before he left their home and began to build his reputation. A millennium since that day he was found, Hao had became known as one of the most powerful Demon's outside Hell, rivaling even the descendents of the Fallen in strength and cunning. He was in almost every sense of the word, a Demon. He sighed, turning back to his two guests.

'Tell them there are some things that need to be smoothed over,' he replied. 'It would help if I'm not the only one scouring the Earth looking for the Angels: get them to send some lesser Demon's to Earth to follow the Angels if they're so desperate for more information.'

'I'll make sure they are told,' Faust agreed, helping Eliza to her feet as they followed Hao to the door. 'Just another journey to the Gate City and back.'

'Can't you send a messenger?' Hao asked, waving his hand at the doors and they instantly opened, allowing Faust and Eliza to leave through the front gardens beneath the arches of black branches the trees had ensnared between them. A six eyed raven sat upon one of the low branches, shrieking every once and awhile as it ruffled its feathers.

'Faust prefers to do things himself,' Eliza said softly, linking arms with her husband. 'Makes sure things are done right, rather than messages getting lost in the process.'

'Perfectionist,' Hao muttered, making Faust smile.

'Only when it comes to you,' he replied, patting Hao gently on the shoulder. 'This will probably only keep them quiet for a week or so.'

'So? What can the do – they can't leave the Gate City,' Hao reminded him, grinning. 'I'll stop by soon, see how things are.'

'I hope you do,' Eliza agreed, before the two of them walked down the path, leaving Hao with his five other house mates. Opacho appeared beside him again, hovering in the air as her orange poncho floated around her: she looked out into the gardens before the doors closed again and she turned back to Hao.

'So – who's the boy in your room?' she asked innocently. Hao sighed, rubbing his head: it had been a long day.

* * *

Night had fallen in the Shadow Land, though it was hard to tell since they barely got any sunlight to begin with, but Hao was tired and he wished to sleep. Nichrome and Opacho had retired to their beds not so long ago: Kana and her two girls would be sharing someone else's bed tonight, since they had disappeared with the last rays of sunlight to satisfy their hunger. Hao yawned, carrying a glass of warmed blood into Opacho's room where she was waiting patiently for bedtime snack. Setting the glass on the small wooden table beside her bed, Hao tucked in the little vampire under a thick blanket, ruffling her hair when he was finished.

'You're going to go to sleep now?' he asked, though it was rhetorical since she was only a few centuries old and needed rest.

'No bed time story?' she asked, pouting: Hao smiled, crouching down beside her bed so he was at eye level with her.

'Not tonight,' he replied, tapping her nose gently and making her giggle. 'Since I read you _three_ last night!'

'What about tomorrow?' she asked.

'Alright – one tomorrow,' he compromised, standing up and switching off the bedside lamp. 'Goodnight.'

'Night, Hao sama.'

Hao was expecting to find his room empty when he returned – he had left him alone for some time and would've expected to find that Yoh had managed to escape. He was surprised to find his pet was fast asleep under the duvet in his bed: Hao approached the bed silently, making sure he was correct. Yoh lay curled up on one side, his hands resting on the pillow as he slept dreamlessly, his breathing rhythmic and soft: a few stray bangs of hair fell across his face, and Hao gently swept them away to reveal his gentle features. Hao sighed, unsure of what to do with the boy as he undressed and slid between the covers, pulling Yoh closer to him as he got comfortable to sleep, which was quickly overwhelming him as his eyelids felt heavy and he began to descend into blissful oblivion. He wasn't sure if he was happy or disappointed that he had not tried to escape: he would have enjoyed punishing Yoh on his first day as a pet.

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Sorry not much happens in this chapter...

(1) Melusine: a water demon, like a mermaid except it has either two fish or serpant tails instead of legs and has two small wings proruding from its back.  
Leviathan: big-ass water demon, usually not very friendly. Sometimes depicted in the form of a giant squid, a sea-serpant or a giant scorpian-serpant mix.

(2) Hone/ Hone-oni - Skeleton demon. You'll understand why Faust is a demon and not an angel and why Nichrome and the others share Hao's home later on.

(3) The Forty Two are the most powerful demons in Hell - they followed the devil against God and were cast from Heaven along with him. They are trapped in Hell for eternity and cannot escape: the power that keeps them there has weakened down the bloodline, thier descendants can leave Hell but cannot venture far from its Gates. The Shadow Lands could be considered a type of "Limbo" - neither of Earth nor Hell but caught in between.

R&R?


	3. Chapter 3

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YAY! My internet is up and I'm using Microsoft works to type so updates are back! YAY!

**THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED ME!!!** ::tears up:: **I LUV U GUYS!!!** ::SUPER FLYING GLOMP OF LOVE::

**So! The next chappie of Halo is here - I've decided the song will play an important part in the story later on, I don't know when since I don't have a written plan for this story. ^^' Anyway, you'll also find out why certain Demons are Demons and certain Angels are Angels later on as well.**

**Until then, enjoy the chapter! xx**

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Yoh woke slowly, the early morning sunlight streaming in through the windows on either side of the bed, brightening up the dark room. He felt pressure around his waist and hot breath on the back of his neck. Turning his head to glance over his shoulder, he saw Hao still fast asleep, his arm wrapped possessively around Yoh. The brunette shifted under the covers, trying to slide out of the bed and away from Hao. He was half way out of Hao's grasp when the limb tensed, locking around his slim body and pulling him back under the heavy quilt, drawing him close up to his bare chest. Hao smiled, cracking one eye open to stare at the boy.

'You should know I'm a light sleeper,' he said, stretching out the rest of his body while keeping a tight grip on Yoh.

'Well, it's morning,' Yoh stated, as if the Demon wasn't aware of that fact. 'So… we should probably get up right now.'

He made another attempt to get out of the bed quickly, only to have Hao pull him back sharply, Hao's hand resting on his flat stomach under his shirt. The Demon smirked, nuzzling at the nape of Yoh's neck as his hand roamed the plains of Yoh's pale skin, the younger brunette frozen in panic.

'I think I'm going to have to teach you a lesson,' he murmured, as his hand trailed lower on his abdomen.. 'Pets don't make the rules - their masters do, and you seem to quickly forget your role.'

His hand slipped under Yoh's trousers, then boxers before his cool digits wrapped around Yoh's member; the brunette choked, struggling again when Hao squeezed the warming phallus and slid his hand from base to tip, feeling it harden under his fingers. Yoh blushed, pressing a hand over his mouth to stop himself crying out and giving Hao the pleasure of hearing him moan. Hao continued to stroke his shaft, running his thumb over the tip before sliding his experienced hand back down, letting his nails lightly graze the skin. Yoh practically bit his tongue as a strange, new sensation began to build in his abdomen, making him hotter: every nerve ending felt electrified as Hao continued his ministrations, the pressure mounting in Yoh's lower body. He trembled, panting heavily as Hao chuckled, nipping his earlobe before licking the curve of the shell: Yoh gasped quietly, though he was sure Hao had heard him as he sensed him grin, picking up speed as the heated pressure was almost overwhelming and he felt like he would go crazy when Hao suddenly stopped all movements.

Yoh whimpered, opening his eyes that he hadn't realised he'd shut as Hao kept a tight grip on him, placing his thumb firmly over the weeping tip of Yoh's member and sitting up on the bed, pulling Yoh with him by his arm. 'Enter.'

A young blonde girl with black bat wings protruding from her back and from behind her ears entered Hao's room, scantily clad in a low cut black slip dress and white stockings as she smiled sweetly at the Master of the mansion, before she noticed Yoh sitting there, blushing furiously and trying to pull his knees up to his chest. 'Mari and Macchi have prepared breakfast for everyone.'

She spoke in the third person, referring to herself by name and glanced at Yoh again. 'Mari sees Hao-sama has a new pet.'

Hao smirked, wrapping one arm around Yoh's waist since his other hand was still under the duvet: Yoh's blush darkened and he began to tremble with the pain that was quickly ebbing in at Hao's mercilessness as his hand remained unmoving. Mari frowned at him: she was a Succubus - she knew very well what was happening in Hao's bed.

'Don't be jealous, Mari,' he warned lightly, though there was an underlying threat in his tone. 'Go get the others for breakfast.'

Mari knew a dismissal when she received one, and bowed rigidly to Hao before she left the room, shutting the door behind her with a little more force than necessary. Hao smiled, looking at Yoh as he completed his work, pumping Yoh feverishly until Yoh came heavily in his hand, his head thrown back as his whole body arched with the wave of ecstasy that travelled through him. He was no longer able to keep his voice, a throaty moan escaping past his moist pouted lips as he dug his nails into his palms, leaving crescent- shaped indents in the soft skin. Hao released him, letting the boy fall back onto the bed as he brought his fingers to his mouth, sucking the hot juice off of them like it was his favourite treat.

Hao glanced at Yoh, who was covering his eyes with his forearm as he tried to slow his breathing down again: he grabbed his arm and tried to roll him over onto his stomach when Yoh resisted, pushing back against him. Hao snarled, cracking his hand off of Yoh's face and the brunette yelped, pressing a hand to his reddening cheek as Hao straddled him furiously, his wings slowly unfurling from his back.

'You listen,' he demanded angrily, pressing his hands against the mattress on either side of Yoh's head. 'You _will_ obey me, even if I have to teach you a lesson every hour, on the hour. Also, you got off easy this time - next time I have to discipline you, it _will_ be in front of everyone so they can all see whose whore you are.'

Yoh's eyes widened at the last part, flinching as Hao glared at him with those cold black eyes as he continued to speak. 'You are no better than a damn dog in this place, so you had better listen to the others that live here -'

_Others?_ Yoh thought, worried at the prospect of how many more Demons there were in the mansion.

'The only difference between me and them is that they will not be allowed to touch you, and if they do,' he threatened, taking hold of Yoh's jaw tightly in his slim fingers. 'I'll torture and kill the both of you!'

Yoh did not doubt him for a second, though he couldn't let him see the wings that adorned his back- he didn't know what he would do if he found out. However, it would appear someone up there was still able to help out when Hao was interrupted again in attempting to view his back by the young vampire-Demon he had met yesterday - Yoh recalled her as Opacho.

'Hao-sama…' she began, and Hao growled, turning around to face her.

'Damn it - _what?'_ he snapped loudly, startling her an instantly making her eyes well up with tears. Hao suddenly softened, sighing as he climbed off of Yoh and quickly making his way across the room to the whimpering young Demon-girl. He scooped her into his arms, cradling her like a baby as he tried to soothe her tears: Yoh watched in amazement at the gentleness the two Demons exhibited towards one another - it was so unlike what Hao had been before. Said Demon saw him watching and folded his wings around them, cutting them off into the little world inside the cocoon made by Hao's blood-red wings. Yoh watched the large appendages remain motionless like that for a few more minutes before they quivered, retreating into his back as Hao and Opacho re-emerged, Opacho wiping her tears away an Hao smiling gently at her.

'Breakfast has been prepared, go down and have something to eat,' he said, ruffling her hair. 'We'll be down soon.'

'Ok,' she said, brightening as she exited the room in a puff of smoke, leaving Hao and Yoh alone together: the Demon turned back to Yoh as the younger turned his gaze away, pulling the covers further up his body.

'You especially have to listen to her,' he warned. 'Upset her in anyway and you'll envy the dead when I'm through with you, now get cleaned up and get dressed.'

'I… I don't have any clean clothes,' Yoh muttered, fiddling with the corner of the bed sheet. He felt so humiliated after what Hao had did to him, and that girl who must have known what was happening to him. He had never felt so degraded in his whole life, but, the pleasure that had filled his body was exhilarating; white dots had danced in front of his eyes and he felt like he was flying again. He shook his head, remembering why he was there in the first place when something hit his head: it was a pair of jeans and a black shirt. Hao closed the door to his wardrobe and returned to the bed, giving Yoh a shove to get out.

'The bathroom is through there,' he said, nodding to the door which Yoh had already guessed to be the bathroom. 'Have a quick shower and get ready - if you're not back in ten minutes, I'm joining you.'

He grinned, making Yoh blush again and slip out of bed quickly, darting to the bathroom and shutting the door tightly behind him. Hao remained seated on the bed, crossing his legs Indian-style and leaning back, thinking. Absent-mindedly, he licked his lips, still remembering Yoh's taste: it was unusual, it slipped down his throat like bitter-sweet syrup: it was almost addictive and there were few creatures of the Dark that had that sort of effect, and even fewer Light creatures: the main one was, of course, Angels. They only took lovers from amongst their own race, so few had ever experienced an Angel and those who did had taken it by force and were ultimately killed. Hao growled: no Calvary of Angels had stormed the Shadow Lands yet, so Yoh either wasn't an Angel or the Angels didn't want him back yet. Hao had a good suspicion it was the latter.

He glanced at the small clock on the bedside table, and smirked, leaving the bed and sauntering towards the bathroom.

Yoh turned the lock on the door, feeling some security at the fact there was a locked heavy wooden door between him and the demon: he had given him ten minutes, so Yoh set the clean clothes down and undressed quickly, turning the showers temperature to suit him and stepped under the hot spray. The clouded glass door shut automatically behind him, and he turned so his back was against the wall - just in case. Only two sides of the cubicle were glass, the side had clear glass on the top half, allowing Yoh to see the rest of the bathroom.

The room was almost as big as the bedroom - the shower occupying only one small corner: half the room was taken up by a swimming-pool of a bath set into the marble floor with gold (at least, he thought they were gold) faucets and railings circling it to aid exiting the massive structure. Ledges around it held expensive bottles of liquids and soaps, while others were piled with towels or left bare: yet another door probably led to the lavatory. Needless to say, Yoh was impressed with Hao's wealth: no one knew exactly how old he was, even those who had been tracking him for centuries. He stretched his arms out, enjoying the fresh feeling of being clean when the door to the shower suddenly opened, startling Yoh as Hao smirked at his naked form.

'Ah!' Yoh squeaked, trying to preserve as much dignity as he could, blushing deeply as Hao's gaze never moved from him. 'You said ten minutes!'

'I lied,' he said simply.

'That's not fair!' Yoh protested, trying to hide his manhood from Hao's prying eyes.

'I'm a Demon - I don't do fair!' he laughed, stepping into the shower with all his clothes still on: Yoh shrunk further into the corner as the door closed again, trapping him there with Hao. He started to shiver, despite the fact the glass was clouding more with the hot steam that condensed on its smooth surface.

'Please don't,' Yoh whispered, pushing his hands against Hao's strong chest: he knew Hao could feel him trembling - he could see his own arms shaking as they held Hao back a short distance. Hao's smirk grew wider, watching the boy in front of him as he acted so submissive without even realising it - the downward gaze, his soft-spoken plea: even his legs were partially spread to balance himself, but the effect was still the same - Hao would kill to screw him there and then. However, he knew the pleasure of anticipation and suspense, along with the fact it would be even more delicious when Yoh wasn't expecting him to pounce: he couldn't wait to hear him scream. Until then, he preferred to keep him guessing, as he stepped in closer to Yoh, taking advantage of his hesitation to retaliate and slipped his arms around his slim waist, running his hands up and down Yoh's back soothingly. He listened to the younger brunettes erratic breathing as he massaged the particular spots on his back where his own wings were.

Regardless of race, any creature with wings knew they were extremely sensitive, with three times as many nerve endings than their actual body(1): when their wings retracted into their bodies, it meant those three times as many nerve endings were compacted into their backs. Touching the tattoo's of the wings stimulated them to the extent that they had to unfurl or the owner of the wings went crazy with the levels of endorphins(2) released into the bloodstream. It was why flying felt so good, especially at high altitudes or on windy days. Hao knew what he was doing, as he continued to work over the muscles of Yoh's back, who had already experienced his masterful fingers earlier that morning and felt that new, alien feeling all over again. Unfortunately, he also felt another more familiar feeling from his back as Hao continued to caress the tattoo's, teasing them from his back as they began to stop being just skin and become more feathered.

'Stop!' he gasped breathlessly, pushing them apart as he leaned back against the wall and Hao released him, grinning. His legs felt weak and his head was full of cotton wool, and he prayed he had stopped Hao in time: that smile gave nothing away as Hao tilted his head innocently, staring at Yoh with half lidded eyes as he took in his trembling limbs and bright pink skin, glancing down at his erect member.

'Ah, look,' he crooned, resting one hand on his hip. 'You've gotten all excited again and exhausted yourself… need help taking care of that?'

He reached tauntingly towards Yoh, knowing he'd move away from him to stop any further contact between them: Yoh jerked away on instinct, sliding half way down the wall as his legs stopped holding him. He turned his head away from Hao so he wouldn't see his superior smirk, his soaking wet bangs hiding his flushed face. Hao laughed quietly, stepping back and opening the door to the shower, leaning against the frame.

'Well, I can't let you finish it off yourself - I'm the only one who decides whether you have pleasure… or pain,' he said, reaching up to the temperature control as Yoh's eyes snapped back to him, watching him as he touched the dial. 'And I choose pain.'

He turned the dial as far as it would go in one direction and Yoh was instantly hit by ice water: he yelled in shock, slipping down till he sat upon the shower floor, drawing his knees up to his chest as he began to shiver uncontrollably. Hao looked down at Yoh without compassion, watching him suffer under the freezing water: he had never met someone who looked so delicious whatever situation they were in.

'That should help take care of your problem. You have a few more minutes of the time I set left - you can either come done to breakfast after you've finished or sit here and freeze till I get back. The latter would provide a good opportunity for me to warm you up,' he reminded Yoh.

'And one more thing - you must call me Master, and you'll be disciplined every time you fail to do so,' he added, before he left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Yoh remained where he was, under the torrent of water as he rested his forehead on his knees. He knew Hao was a Demon, but he couldn't possibly be this cruel - Yoh wasn't a pet, or a plaything yet Hao just tried to take what he wanted when he wanted. He had had seen the look that had passed across the Demon's face when he'd first stepped into the shower: it was a feral lust that Hao had obvious difficulty in controlling. He couldn't have been touching his wing-tattoo just by accident, he must have known they were there: Yoh couldn't understand - if Hao knew he was an Angel, why wasn't he acting on it? Everyone knew Angels were favourites among Demons - whoever had enough gall to catch and keep one for their bed was treated in high regards among his fellow Dark Creatures. It was considered an even greater achievement if the Demon fooled the rest of the Angel community that the captured Angel had died: for a High-Level Demon, it was child's play to do so. Yet even in his cruelness, he had some emotion: the way he looked at Opacho was so gentle he couldn't believe it was the same Demon that had molested him. But that was only with Opacho - he held none of those feelings for Yoh, and he had made it clear he had no intention of having any sort of those feelings for him. Yoh swallowed his tears, regretting the fact that he had ever agreed to do this mission.

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(1) Fact. Supposedly. I've never met an angel so I couldn't really tell you for sure. Thier metabolism is also a lot quicker than ours, and they have three times as many bones than humans have due to thier wings to the ratio of nerves to bone to metabolic rate and all the other anatomical detail should balance out.

(2) Endorphins are released during exercise, excitement, pain or orgasm. They resemble opiates for thier repressing of pain in certain situtions while in others gives you the "feel good" factor, like you're are produced in the pituatary and hypothalamus gland in the brain, where the nerves send thier messages.

R&R? Sorry for the wait...


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the time between updates, I was busy on other sites. **

**Anyway, tis here, but not a lot happens in it. Sorry - more action in the next chapter. Promise ;P xx**

**Enjoy ^^**

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Yoh rubbed his arms, unrolling the shirt sleeves down so they covered the still cold limbs: he couldn't get rid of the feeling that a layer of ice was over his skin, like when he and Horo were training and his friend was over-zealous with his element. Making sure that the material of the shirt wasn't going to expose his back so easily, he stepped out of the room clad in dark blue jeans and the cotton shirt on his back. He didn't like his chances of finding the dining room in the maze of hallways as he looked left and right down the identical darkened corridors of the floor he was on. He bit his lip, closing the door behind him: it was the only double-door room he could see so he was sure he'd be able to find it easily enough. Whether not that was a good thing or not considering it was Hao's bedroom was something else entirely. He sighed, turning right and was met by a small flickering red ball of fire barely inches from his face: startled, he leapt back slightly and eyed the hovering sphere warily as it remained where it was, waiting for him.

It was clearly impatient, as it flew back down the hall, illuminating a small area around it as travelled: it paused when it realised Yoh was still rooted to the spot he stood in and bounced up and down in the air, irritated. The brunette figured it wanted him to follow it, and quickly moved after it, hoping it would take him where there was something to eat - and no where near Hao. Taking him to a flight of winding stairs, the fire lit up the soft shadows that resided there, giving Yoh a clear path down the carpeted steps. Passing down two or three corridors - Yoh lost count since they all looked the same - and numerous stairwells, he finally reached the brightly lit ground floor and the ball of fire darted down the straight corridor and paused in front of the open door at the end before it extinguished itself.

Yoh paused for a moment, remembering what Hao had said about other Demon's living in the mansion: he really didn't want to walk into a room full of them after only meeting the two girls who had personalities at opposite ends of the spectrum. On the other hand, he was hungry and as long as he didn't irritate Hao, he would probably get to eat in peace without any more incidents. Gathering what was left of his courage after the last couple of hours living in this place, he walked along the corridor towards the open door, voices reaching his ears as he got closer: he heard Opacho's high, excited voice telling anyone who would listen what she wanted to do today as well as Mari, still speaking in third person and a few other voices. There were a few other hushed voices: he was unable to distinguish how many even as he neared the doorway, and he couldn't tell if Hao was there or not. He bit his lip, considering whether it was worth it or not.

'Are you going to go in or not?' a cool voice snapped behind him, making him jump and spin around sharply, losing his balance and toppling to the floor with a heavy thump. He barely glanced at the empty violet eyes as he scurried backwards, only stopping when he hit one of the many counters in the kitchen. His breathing erratic, it was the only thing that was heard in the large room as the five demons sitting around the long island in the centre of the floor stared at him with a variety of emotions ranging from amusement (Hao and Opacho) to irritation (Mari) to surprise (Kana and Macchi). Nichrome smirked, shaking his head as he joined the others at the designated eating area, sliding into the last remaining comfortable chair there was: Yoh's eyes never left the Scorpion as his breathing slowly returned to normal, despite the fact that he was trembling as he got shakily to his feet. If these five Demons were the ones who shared Hao's home, then this was one of the times when quality definitely outranked quantity: he'd have preferred one hundred other Demons then the five sitting in front of him.

'Are you going to stand there, or are you going to come and eat?' Hao asked in a bored tone, smirking as he could practically see the cogs in Yoh's mind turning as the brunette looked closely at Mari, seeing her with her sisters and recognising her easily. Nichrome and himself needed no introduction, and Opacho was still too young to do any damage that would get her noticed.

'You - You're the Angel Slayer…' he whispered, still staring at Nichrome. The Demon paused, his cup half raised to his smirking lips as he glanced at Yoh, then back at Hao.

'You're new toy is well informed,' he remarked. 'If a little jumpy.'

'I like them that way,' Hao replied, watching Yoh as he skirted around the island, keeping as far away from the Demons as possible before stopping between Hao and Opacho. The blue haired Demon - he recognised her as Kana from the numerous books an reports They had on her - glared at him from her place on Hao's left side: Succubae were known for possessiveness to the point of obsession. He was not going to have an easy mission.

'Aren't you going to sit?' Opacho asked innocently, munching on coco pops (they can normal things in the Shadow Lands…)

'There's no where to sit…' he replied quietly, folding his arms uncomfortably. The surrounding Demons snorted or chuckled, glancing at one another as if sharing an inside joke.

'Slaves sit on their Masters lap at meal times or when in the presence of guests,' Nichrome explained, a malicious glint in his eye. Yoh stared at him in horror: he was _not_ going to sit on Hao's lap! Not after what had happened just that morning. 'Or on the floor, of course - in which case, you'll have to pleasure your Master then and there if he asks of it.'

Yoh frowned at him, a blank glare settling in his usually-lively eyes: the expression did not suit him, it made him plain and unattractive. However, his thoughts were clear: he would not degrade himself in front of the present company any further after what Mari had walked in on over an hour ago. Sitting on Hao's lap was bearable, but he wasn't going to risk having that asked of him: he slid into Hao's lap silently, tensing as the Demon slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. He could see the disappointment on everyone's face - they had wanted to see him humiliated. He felt almost triumphant that he'd out-manoeuvred them, reaching for the fruit bowl where some oranges were stacked.

'Little whore knows how to play our games,' Mari muttered into her coffee, stopping Yoh in his tracks as he turned and scowled at her.

'I'm not a whore,' he stated calmly. Mari smirked.

'Then what did Mari walk in on this morning?' she taunted, instantly getting the attention of everyone at the table (except Opacho, who was blissfully naïve as to the mature conversation around her as she chased the last of the coco pops around her bowl). Hao grinned devilishly, letting the Demons talk while Yoh sat there, frozen in horror as Mari prepared to share all the intimate details.

'You what?'

'What happened - did you see Hao-sama take him?'

'Did he scream?'

'Was he a good show?'

'Was -'

'STOP!' Yoh yelled, silencing them as they turned back to him, glowering at him as if he had no right to quieten them. Even Hao straightened in his seat, his grip on Yoh tightening as he border lined breaking one of the rules Hao had given him. Yoh, however, was not thinking of the rules at the moment as he pointed at Mari angrily. 'You have no right to say anything about me! Whether or not Hao did anything to me, you can't judge me - not when you are a Succubus, giving yourself to anybody for a quick sna-ah!'

He was stopped mid-sentence when Hao yanked roughly on his hair, pulling him back so his slim, elegant throat was bared to the Demons, Hao's free hand wrapped loosely around it as Yoh struggled, gripping either of Hao's hands in his own. The Demon's around him watched with baited breath, wanting to know what would happen to him after such an outburst against one of the house hold's residents.

'I think that's quite enough out of you,' Hao muttered, his tongue darting out to lick an area of exposed skin on Yoh's neck, feeling him flinch at the contact. 'How easily you forget the third rule.'

'Third?' Yoh repeated between gritted teeth as his hair was pulled again: he glanced sideways to meet Hao's intense black gaze.

'_Rule one: you will obey me at all times, even if I have to teach you a lesson every hour, on the hour_ - it seems like that will be a regular occurrence if you keep up this attitude. _Rule two - you will be disciplined in front of everyone that lives here unless I see fit otherwise: Rule three - you _will _obey _everyone_ who lives under this roof, especially Opacho_ -' at the sound of her name, Opacho looked up and smiled, before returning to her second bowl of cereal - _'unless of course they try to touch you in any way that I see inappropriate or unnecessary_. In which case, I'll kill all members of the act. That's a warning to you all, remember it!'

He looked around the table steadily, making sure all of them knew the consequences of their actions before turning back to Yoh, giving his hair another painful tug that made him wince. 'As for you - you'll be wise to remember my fucking rules from now on, understood?'

Yoh nodded, willing to agree to anything as long as Hao just let go of his him.

'Good,' Hao answered his silent wish and released him, reclining back in his chair as Yoh rubbed his head and throat. 'You will be denied anything to eat for today as punishment.'

Yoh and Mari gazed at him in shock - Yoh for one of his most basic needs being taken away from him, and Mari in outrage at the leniency of the punishment.

'That's all Hao-sama is going to do? That's his punishment?' Mari screeched. Hao glanced at her, staring at her coolly as he rested his chin on one of his fists, his elbow propped up on the arm of his chair.

'You're questioning me?' he asked smoothly, and Mari faltered.

'N-no, Mari just means… that - _what are you doing_?' she demanded, turning on Yoh as he neatly grabbed the orange-juice carton. Hao seized his other wrist, twisting his arm painfully without even looking at him: Yoh hissed in pain, but still looked over his shoulder at Hao, refusing to release the carton. The others stared at the new drama that was unfolding in front of them it was becoming an eventful breakfast.

'You said I couldn't eat,' Yoh said calmly, noticing the effort it was taking Hao not to kill him after possibly going against his orders a second time. 'You didn't say anything about having something to drink.'

Even Nichrome choked on his food at that: no one dared speak back to Hao, as everything stood still for the minutes that followed, everyone wondering whether or not blood would be spilt before 10am and who was going to clean it up. Then, Hao smirked, and threw his head back and laughed darkly, releasing Yoh's wrist and looping his arm around his waist again. 'Opacho, can you get Yoh a glass?'

'Sure, Hao-sama,' she complied, flying over to one of the cupboards and retrieving a tall clear glass from it. Returning to the table, she handed it to Yoh and returned to eating her breakfast as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

'Like you said Mari, he knows how to play our games,' he stated, ending any further conversations on the matter. The Demons glared at Yoh.

* * *

Yoh cursed under his breath, looking up and down the fifth corridor he had walked along: he was lost. He couldn't even remember how many floors he had traversed or the number of rooms he'd tried, constantly returning to the ground floor to start again: the only way he knew he wasn't in the basements or dungeons was the fact that light was streaming through all the windows around him and the areas he went into were pleasantly warm. However, he was getting tired, and didn't want to face Hao's wrath after being told to return to his room immediately to wait for him when he arrived back. Opacho had gone with him, while the Succubae had disappeared out into the Shadow Lands to deal with their own business while Nichrome had just disappeared. Yoh sighed, stopping and leaning against a wall as he considered for the third time returning to the ground floor and starting again: on the other hand, walking up and down stairs was draining on a mostly empty stomach and he couldn't risk exposing his wings in case someone came back. He groaned, knowing he'd have to start again: getting to his feet, he returned to the top of the staircase to begin his descent when three figures blocked his path - the Succubae.

Identical pairs of wings adorned their heads and backs, their cold eyes fixated on him as he looked at them, sighing inwardly as he knew they were not going to let him go that easily.

'I'm looking for Hao's bedroom,' he began. 'Do you mind -'

'What gives you the right to speak of him so informally?' Macchi demanded, tapping her boots against the carpeted stair she was on. 'You're just his toy. He doesn't care about you!'

'I never said he did,' Yoh replied, shifting from one foot to the other as Kana and her girls advanced on him slowly.

'But we care about Hao-sama, and we're not about to let a little bitch like you get in his head,' Kana retorted, resting her hand on the banister, completely blocking Yoh's path.

'Trust me, that's the last place I want to be,' Yoh said: not exactly true since he was gathering information on whatever Hao and others were planning. However, the three Demon's in front of him didn't need to know that.

'I don't care where you want to be, but know this - the last place you want to be is on my bad side,' Kana warned, leaning in close to Yoh. 'And if you keep pulling stunts like what you did at breakfast, you'll get there sooner than you think and things will become _very_ nasty for you!'

'Kana,' Nichrome said smoothly, suddenly appearing behind the Succubae. The girls turned and glared at the Demon leaning against the wall, a smirk plastered onto his face. 'You wouldn't be unnecessarily bothering Hao-sama's pet, now would you? Not after what he said this morning.'

'No, of course not,' Kana replied, straightening up and casting a look of indifference at Yoh. 'Just making sure Hao-sama's pet knows his place.'

'It's in Hao-sama's bedroom, where he should be right now,' Nichrome stated, looking past the girls at Yoh.

'I got lost,' he replied, not wanting to be in any of their companies for much longer.

'I'll show you the way,' Nichrome offered, moving past the unresisting girls and smiling at Yoh, who instantly stepped back.

'You don't… that's not necessary,' he replied, wanting to get rid of the Demons as soon as possible.

'Would you rather run around this house lost until Hao-sama returns and disciplines you?' he demanded, making Yoh stop in his retreat.

'How did you know that?' he asked, but Nichrome waved his hand dismissively.

'Details, now if you'll follow me, I'm sure Kana and her ladies have other more pressing matters to attend to,' Nichrome glared at the Succubae, and they reluctantly departed as Nichrome led him away from the stairs and up another set, heading towards the only set of double-doors on the floor. Both were silent on their short journey, and Yoh quickly recognised Hao's room, opening the door and stepping inside.

'Thank you,' he said civilly to Nichrome, who shrugged.

'Just don't have me watching your ass all the time,' he replied, grinning smugly. 'Otherwise I'll want a piece of it myself.'

Yoh scowled at him. 'I think you should go now.'

Nichrome turned away and Yoh shut the bedroom door, angry at the Demons and angry at Hao for everything he'd done to him in the short time he'd been there. However, being angry required energy, which was something Yoh didn't have: he flopped down on the bed, reaching down into his shoes for the crystal earring and placing it in his ear again.

'You guys there?' he muttered.

'_Of course we are, baka,' Ren snapped agitatedly. 'We're on rotation for every three hours or so - though the Others are getting suspicious - we even had a visit from the First Sphere today.'_

'A Messenger**(1)**?' Yoh asked, though he could feel Ren shake his head: it hadn't been one of their own.

'_No - an Archangel,' Ren replied. 'Gabriel_**(2)** _to be exact.'_

Yoh whistled. 'How are plans going?'

'_Too slow - everyone is all talk until something actually happens, then they storm in with the Calvary,' Ren complained. 'Silva wants to do more but his hands are tied, being so high up in authority: the best he can do is keep quiet about what we're doing and make sure he's kept in the loop in case something goes wrong, which I'm hoping _it won't_!'_

'Don't stress, Ren,' Yoh soothed. 'Nothing has happened to me yet, but I haven't been able to find anything.'

'_You know it gets riskier the longer you stay there!'_

'I know, I know, calm down, I'll find something soon, I promise - but I have something to tell you.'

'_What?'_

'Hao doesn't live alone - there are others with him.'

'_Who?'_

'You're not going to like this…'

~#~#~#~

'Opacho, go get something to eat - you must be hungry,' Hao ordered lightly, pushing Opacho in the direction of the kitchen just as a scorpion scuttled out of the shadows.

'Hi Nichrome,' Opacho said as she passed him, the creature transforming back into his more human-looking self as Hao approached him.

'Yoh is fine - he's in your room,' he instantly began to relay, being Hao's eyes and ears when he wasn't around. 'He got lost for a while trying to find it but he didn't stumble onto anything important.'

'Anything else?' Hao asked, always knowing when something was being left out. 'Kana and her girls arrived back early did they not?

'Yes, though they merely warned Yoh about keeping gin his place - they did not touch him in any way,' he replied.

'They needn't do that,' Hao replied, making his way towards the stairs. 'Oh, and Nichrome?'

'Yes, Hao-sama?'

'Make anymore comments about Yoh's ass and you'll live long enough to feel your body burn one inch at a time,' Hao smiled, enjoying how much Nichrome tried to hide his emotions.

'Yes Hao-sama.'

'_What? You can't be serious! Yoh - I demand you get out of there, right now!' Ren demanded._

Yoh could hear his chair toppling backwards as his short-tempered friend jumped from his chair and began stalking around the room in a frenzy, about to begin a rant about the danger Yoh was in and how his life wasn't worth it.

'Ren, Ren - calm down, Ren,' he attempted to make him listen, when he himself hear a noise from the corridor. 'Ren - I have to go, I'll talk again soon.'

He unhooked the earring from his lobe and pushed it back into his shoes, turning back onto the bed just as Hao walked in, watching Yoh with great interest.

Hao had seen Yoh reach for his shoes, though he hadn't picked them up or moved them, which was strange to say the least in Hao's opinion. That, and just before he'd walked into the room, he could have sworn he heard Yoh talking to someone: he was not one who commonly imagined things, so he knew Yoh had been up to something. Silently making his way towards the bed, Yoh's eyes followed him as he came closer to the brunette, gazing at him sharply as he lowered himself onto the bed. Yoh shifted away slightly, either to give him more room to sit or to just get away from him: his eyes wouldn't exactly meet Hao's, telling the Demon something was going on. Frowning, he leaned in towards Yoh, supporting himself on locked arms as they stared at one another.

'Yoh - I'm going to ask you once, and if you don't answer or you lie, I'll kill you, understand?' he asked, his voice unchanging from a steady monotone. Yoh's heart raced beneath his chest, so loud he was sure Hao could hear it in the otherwise silent room as he nodded, trying to look innocent. Hao regarded him for a few moments, before speaking again.

'Who the fuck were you just talking to?'

* * *

**(1)** Messenger Angel: Angels are basically at the bottom of the hierarchy, and they generally are messengers or just do the odd jobs on Earth - looking after people (guardian angels) that sort of stuff but they can have more diverse roles - like Ren is the Angel of Thunder - his main duties only come into play when there is a storm, etc.

**(2)** Gabriel - Archangel, one of the most well known. He carries a flaming sword, in most legends and is the right hand of God, I think... I can't remember which hand he is. Michael is the other hand of God, replacing Lucifer after he fell from Grace.

R&R?


	5. Chapter 5

Fecking hell - this writers block was murder to get through, but I managed it! YAY!!

Update is here, my freaky darlings. xx

* * *

'Wh-what?' Yoh swallowed, drawing closer to the headboard of the bed, he could hear his blood rushing in his ears as Hao's gaze never wavered: the onyx orbs regarded him intensely. He tried to move further away from Hao, but the Demon moved so quickly and so aggressively Yoh flinched as Hao's fist pounded the into the mattress beside him, trapping him between Hao's locked arms. He shivered, swallowing again despite the fact his throat was dry and his mouth refused to work: Hao's glare hardened.

'Answer me, or die right now,' he whispered threateningly: Yoh had no doubt that he would follow through with that statement and started to think quickly.

'I… I was…' he stammered, trying to buy time for himself.

'You were…' Hao prompted, losing what little patience he had as he moved closer to Yoh and lifted a hand, the flesh turning red as fire began to consume it. Yoh stared in horror at the growing flames, panicking.

'I was… speaking to my friends,' he blurted out. Aw, shit.

'Your… friends,' Hao repeated, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't tell if Yoh was telling the truth or lying to him, considering al he'd seen was Yoh touching his shoes: obviously, Yoh didn't know how much Hao had seen. Considering what Yoh had just said, Hao drew back a little, thinking: usually, his policy was: when in doubt, wipe them out. However, he was interested to hear Yoh's excuse. 'You were speaking to them?'

'Y-yes,' he replied, shaking where he sat as he tried to tell the truth without telling the truth. 'They aren't with me anymore-' (again, technically his friends aren't with him at that moment)- 'and I sometimes speak with them, so I feel like they're still here with me. Watching my back.'

'Then what does your shoes have to do with anything?'

'I was checking they were still there,' he lied, albeit really well, despite Hao's disbelief that was evident on his face.

'Why would your shoes not be there?' he asked, annoyed.

'In case you ordered them be removed so I couldn't run away.'

There was a horrible silence after that: the type of silence you get in a morgue, when the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and you feel like you're being watched. The same feeling of dank repression weighed down on Yoh as Hao never blinked, never stopped staring at him: Yoh was sure he'd better start saying his last prayers when Hao suddenly laughed, pulling away from Yoh. Yoh was still pretty sure he should start saying his last prayers as Hao glanced at him, before shaking his head and turning towards the wardrobe, walking over to the large dark structure.

Taking up more than a third of the wall it was most likely bolted to, the low black-wood closet had a single, long folding door that allowed Yoh to see most of its contents when Hao opened it and pulled out a thick cotton hoodie from the wardrobe, giving a gentle kick to the frame that closed the doors again. 'Put this on.'

'Why - where are we going?' he asked, changing his question to avoid angering Hao.

'Back to earth,' he replied, smirking. 'Very, very few creatures of Light are mortal - and the only way to their graves is through a human graveyard. So, since you apparently miss your friends so much, you can and visit them - I won't even rush you.'

'Oh - thank you,' Yoh said hesitantly, wondering what Hao was up to as he pulled on the jumper. Swinging his legs out of bed, he slipped on his shoes as well, being careful not to prick his heel on he earring hidden there and stood up, looking at Hao. The Demon smirked, and walked towards the balcony, beckoning Yoh to follow as he unfolded his wings, the membranous appendages passing smoothly through his shirt as if it wasn't even there, leaving it unmarked and in one piece. The two brunettes stepped onto the marble balcony, and Hao wrapped an arm tightly around Yoh, pulling their bodies close together before he ascended into the air, beginning their journey back to the Shadow Portal.

Yoh shivered, waiting patiently for his friends to arrive: when Yoh and Hao had exited the Shadow Portal, Hao had taken them to the nearest cemetery and stopped at the gates, fastening a thin flaming collar and leash to Yoh's neck, explaining he could go as far away from Hao as he liked, but the Demon would always be able to pull him back to him. So it was pointless running away, but at least Hao had given him some privacy, leaving the cemetery gates to return to the Portal: Yoh had waited a couple of minutes to make sure he had left before running across to the other side of the graveyard (he didn't want to risk opening his wingspan, just in case Hao decided to double back - what he was planning on doing risked exposure already). A Light Portal was nearby the second entrance he had stopped at, pulling the crystal earring from his shoe and asking his friends to meet him there and quickly.

That had been ten minutes ago, and Yoh was getting anxious about the time that had passed when the sound of fluttering wings reached his ears and he turned to see his three friends descend onto the hallowed burial ground: Ren looked pissed, Lyserg looked worried and Horo, for once, actually looked serious for a change. Yoh smiled warmly at them, and received one in return from the Ice and the Crystal Angel.

'Hey guys,' he greeted them.

'I think you should pull out,' Ren snapped. Yoh sighed, straight to the point, as ever.

'I can't - this is the one shot we have: the eclipse is only in a few weeks time and when that happens, the Darkness will be stronger and they'll probably do something,' he argued. 'Hao is our best lead - he's one of the strongest Demons outside Hell.'

'Exactly - do you have any idea what he could do to you?' Ren demanded. 'It's too risky to lose one of our own - we could get the information some other way, or send in an older Angel. Please, just come back with us.'

'I can't, he's got me on a fire-leash,' Yoh replied, exposing his neck to them so they could see the tiny coils of fire winding around his neck. The three friends groaned. 'I can't remove it and I can't run away - he'll just pull me back. Trust me guys - I'll be ok.' It wasn't exactly true, after what he had been through in the past twenty four hours, but he wasn't exactly going to tell his friends that and make them worry.

'What about the other Demons that live with him - they're infamous! One of them is Nichrome - the Angel Slayer!' Horo exclaimed. 'Man - it nearly killed Ren just to bump off his brother, now you're living with the real deal?'

'Not to mention the three Succubae, but we don't know anything about the Opacho girl you mentioned,' Lyserg added. Yoh shook his head.

'She's really young, a Vampire-Demon - I doubt any of her powers have developed,' he explained, rubbing his head. 'Look, the best I can do is find out what is happening at the Eclipse - I find out the information and then I run like hell out of there back to the safety of Etherea.'

'And what if something goes wrong?' Lyserg asked.

'Send in the Calvary,' Yoh shrugged.

'We _are _the Calvary!'

'Well, then - I feel a whole lot safer,' Yoh grinned encouragingly. 'Look, I don't want to raise suspicion so I have to probably head back in case he comes looking for me.'

'He's not suspicious, is he? That you're an Angel?' Horo asked. Yoh shook his head.

'I don't think so,' he said, hugging Horo tightly, repeating: 'I'll be ok.'

In turn, Lyserg and Ren hugged him as well, unknowing that Hao watched from the roof of the old shack at the edge of the cemetery, stalking them stealthily with a smirk adorning his features.

'Knew it!'

* * *

Yoh slipped out through the large iron gate, closing it tightly despite its high pitched screech of protest: his friends had taken flight and had disappeared into the clouds quickly and effortlessly, shielding themselves with a glamour so no Demon could spot them. He had waited an extra five minutes after they had left before he slowly made his way back to the front gate where he was now standing: the fire around his neck was loose and unresponsive, simply sitting there like a collar. Yoh grimaced at the idea of wearing a collar, especially one that told everyone around him that Hao was the owner of the collar. He shook his head, looking around for the Demon: he owned the leash, not the one wearing it.

Hao watched Yoh from the Shadows, the Angel waiting patiently at the gates, burying his hands in the hoodies deep pockets. Twisting one of the rings on his fingers, he considered what this meant now that his suspicions were confirmed: Yoh was obviously willing to return to his home, surrounded by Demons and plagued by Hao whenever he was around. He knew the Angels were aware of the power of the Eclipse, and what _could_ happen: he wondered if they were aware of what would happen if the Demon's succeeded, aided greatly by Hao. He sighed, staring up at the clear blue sky, wispy white swirls floating solitarily across the bright azure aimlessly: he smirked. Lets see how willing Yoh was to stay after Hao was through with him.

Moving out of the shadows, Hao crept soundlessly towards Yoh, unnoticed by him: he looped his arms tightly around his waist and felt him jump, inhaling sharply in surprise. His hands instantly went to Hao's wrists, trying to pry him off of him: Hao's arms tightened, one hand sliding down to rest on the waistband of his jeans while the other slipped under the hem of his hoodie and shirt, lightly tickling the skin on his stomach as he nuzzled at Yoh's neck. He could feel the other blushing, burning up with humiliation given such a public place: his breathing became shallow, and he could feel the Angel tremble under his light touches, his fingers running along the edge of the denims, teasing Yoh with a public repeat of what happened that morning.

'Don't,' Yoh managed to choke out, gasping as he shifted and tried to turn away from the invasive touches. 'Please…'

'You're always so well-spoken,' Hao muttered into the material at his collarbone, still holding him tightly. 'So well mannered, and innocent and naïve when it comes to needs of the flesh-' both hands fell to Yoh's jeans, unbuttoning them slowly as Yoh groaned in discomfort - 'so… angelic.'

They both stopped what they were doing: Yoh's eyes widened in panic as he jerked his head around to stare at Hao, who simply smirked, meeting his look with a steady gaze. With a flick of his hand, he released himself from Yoh's grip and grabbed hold of one of his wrists, pulling him around so they were facing one another. 'Now, if I was being fair, I'd probably give you some time to call out for your friends help, but for one - I'm not fair and for another thing - I don't think you want them to save you.'

Yoh, at this point, was speechless as Hao yanked him by the wrist sharply and looped his free arm around his body again: his wings unfurled effortlessly from his back and with several powerful beats of the membranous appendages, they returned to the sky, looping back through the air towards the Shadow Portal they had came through. Yoh quickly snapped out of his frozen panic when the wind brushed his skin, as they ascended higher into the clouds before diving back down: he began to struggle vigorously, twisting and turning in Hao's grip as he arced around into the trees, flying straight through the Portal and back into the Shadow Lands.

-x-x-x-

Yoh couldn't believe what was happening, worse: he didn't know what would happen when they returned to the house, whether or not Hao would kill him or hand him over to the other Demons so they could do many sordid, foul things to him as they pleased. What panicked him the most, and made bile rise in his throat was the thought that Hao himself would do those sordid, foul things to him. Despite being an Angel, his knowledge of Demon's and their antics allowed him to conjure up the most gruesome of fates Hao could have in store for him: all the more reason to struggle with all he had. Hao's grip was unyielding, as they coursed through the skies of the Shadow Lands, dipping and swerving, causing Yoh to pause every now and again to grip on to Hao for fear of falling. Not that he couldn't spread his wings and save himself from the impact, but that would alert every Demon in the area to what he was.

'Stop wriggling,' Hao ordered, as his home came into view quicker than Yoh would've liked: instead of going in through the balcony window into Hao's room, the Demon glided around the mansion to the front door, the large heavy structure opening automatically for him as he descended into the hallway. Landing on the soft carpet, Yoh tried again in his attempts to escape Hao's clutches, failing as he was brutally pulled along the wide corridor and into the main room. Opacho sat there with a picture book and a sandwich, munching happily on her snack when Hao strode into the room, dragging Yoh along with him.

'Hao-sama?' she questioned, glancing at Yoh, who looked terrified (or, more terrified than the last time she saw him.)

'Bring everyone here,' he asked her, and Yoh cried out in anguish, trembling as he stopped fighting and instead gripped Hao's sleeve. There were tears in his eyes when Opacho scurried out of the room.

'Please,' he begged, his knuckles white as he tightened his hold on the material, tears running down his cheeks. 'Please don't do this!'

Hao watched in mild amusement the show before him: Yoh was defenceless, completely under his control at that very moment - he could do whatever he wanted to him and he would be unable to fight back. Begging, crying and scared beyond his wits, the Angel shivered against him so badly it was like he was stuck in the arctic but his skin was deliciously hot, adrenaline making his blood flow faster and his heart beat rapidly, a mad erratic rhythm that Hao could hear with ease with his sensitive ears. The doors opened amidst his panic and the other Demons filed into the room, staring at Yoh: he sobbed as he heard them enter. 'Oh, God…'

'He's not going to help you now,' Hao muttered, resting his hands lightly on Yoh's shoulders as if he meant to embrace him, making gentle shushing noises as he closed the distance between them. It was almost soothing, the way he rubbed his shoulders and whispered in his ear: however, Yoh could not shake the horrible feeling of having everyone's eyes on him, waiting for something to happen while he made a spectacle of himself.

'What's going on?' Nichrome asked in bemusement, tilting his head to one side.

'You're about to find out,' Hao smirked, and he tightened his grip on the clothes covering Yoh's back: with inhuman strength, he ripped the material of both the hoodie and the shirt in the process of pushing Yoh back forcefully. Losing his balance, Yoh couldn't steady himself as he tumbled to the floor, his body pushed so it twisted around and exposed his back to the room: managing to catch himself before his head hit the floor, he propped himself up on bent arms, hands splayed like starfish on the soft rug as he listened to the shrieks and yells of those around him. Sweat clung to his skin, the lean muscles trembling beneath the supple flesh as he stayed there, looking at the floor through his tears in wait for the Demons to descend on him and rip him apart.

'Kill him! Kill him!' Kana chanted, curled up on the back of the sofa, as far away from Yoh as she could get, as if he was carrying a disease.

'No - let's have some fun with him first,' Macchi and Mari chorused, leering at Yoh as their eyes raked across the decoration on his back. Opacho and Nichrome were mainly quiet, offering a loud hiss or squeal at the sight of Yoh's tattoo-wings: he heard footsteps, and out the corner of his eye saw Hao's shoes set on the floor beside him, standing over him with an air of authority. He gasped for breath, mentally praying and begging and hoping he would live through this and return home in one piece as Hao crouched down beside him, running a hand across his naked back from the small to the nape of his neck. He could feel the hateful glares on him, suffocating him under an overpowering blanket of hostility. He was frozen, staring at the same point on the floor: he couldn't even flinch away from Hao's touches, and the Demon grabbed a fistful of hair, yanking his head back so his neck was craned at an uncomfortable angle, his back aching back as his hands flew to his scalp, trying to alleviate the pressure however way he could.

'You're interesting, do you know that, Yoh?' Hao asked, wrapping his hand around Yoh's neck, his pulse resting beneath his fingers as he tightened his grip, as if he was going to choke him. Yoh swallowed, not answering as he blinked away his tears as best as he could. Hao continued anyway: 'You walk in here willingly, knowing who lives here and what they could do to you: why? Is what you're looking for really worth risking yourself for - is it worth risking your friends?'

Yoh's eyes shot open as those words left his lips: Hao was looking at Nichrome, smiling as he kept a tight grip on Yoh. He wouldn't tell them - would he? However, Hao returned to Yoh after a moment, grinning at him with a feral lust that made Yoh's blood run cold. 'I know what you're after - what the whole Army of Heaven is after: lets see if you can break our Demonic little secret, before I break you.'

Yoh was sure his heart had stopped as he was yanked to his feet by his hair and pushed out of the room: Hao had only paused at the door to inform the other Demon's that the rules remained the same, and to tell Nichrome that Ren was a friend of Yoh's. He had been unable to see the look on the Demon's face as his neck was still at the painful angle Hao had pulled it into, but he was sure he would have killed Yoh for information there and then had Hao not been there. However, now was not the time to think about such things as Hao threw him roughly into his bedroom, locking the heavy doors behind him. With a flick of his wrist, all the windows and other doors in he room were closed and locked, cutting off any escape route Yoh might have thought of.

He pushed his hair back from his face, watching Yoh as the Angel scrambled to his feet, backing away from him as fast as he could, his Bambi brown eyes darting around the room in terror. Hao smiled: it had been a while since he'd taken a toy, and the first time he had taken an Angel; he wanted to relish in the moment, prolong his pleasure as he took his prize. Hao moved forward with impossible speed, in front of Yoh within a blink of the eye: the Angel squeaked in surprise, jumping back and crashing into the bed.

Hao took his chance, leaning over the Angel and trapping his body between his two powerful arms, staring down at the trembling male beneath him. It was impossible for anyone to look hotter than he did just now, Hao knew: but the fun was still to come.

'Please,' Yoh whispered, trying to wriggle away, pushing against Hao's shoulders. 'Don't do this…'

Hao shrugged, shaking Yoh off easily. 'Why shouldn't I? Would you prefer I hand you over to the others? I'm sure they're just as inventive as I am when it comes to their toys… in fact, I'm pretty sure they have a "Playroom" in the basement: you could always try your luck in there.'

Yoh half groaned, half sobbed at the choice that as being presented to him: get taken by Hao or get passed around like a chunk of meat. Neither sounded very appealing, but it was clear he didn't have a choice as Hao pushed him up the bed till he was resting against the headboard, Hao still dominating the space above him. He watched as the Demon raised one hand, summoning something with his fire: Yoh took his chance, jerking his knee up to connect with Hao's abdomen. He probably didn't hurt him, but he surprised him enough to roll away towards the edge of the bed in a bid to make it to the balcony window. Half off the bed, he tripped as Hao seized his ankle, pulling him back so he landed on the floor, his feet still on the bed even as he twisted and kicked against Hao. The Demon had a strong grip, crawling down over the edge of the bed to snatch Yoh's flailing fists: Yoh twisted his body, and his wings flared up out of his skin, swatting Hao back like he was a fly.

Yoh jumped to his feet, spreading his wings as he ran towards the balcony door: he was almost there when something flashed across his vision, and he screamed in pain as a thin white-hot flame-whip wrapped itself around his body, trapping his wings and arms to his body, wielded by Hao. He wrenched on the length of fire, bringing Yoh to his knees as his own wings burst open in all their black and red glory, a pair of onyx-black horns - much like an Oryx - sprouted from his head just past his bangs: he had fully opened his Demonic side.

'You little bitch!' he hissed, dragging Yoh back like a lassoed calf, the brunette twisting and kicking for all he was worth as Hao grabbed the front of the wire and raised him onto the bed with impossible ease, dumping him there unceremoniously. The flame dissipated, and Hao fell onto his knees so he was straddling Yoh's pelvis: he captured his wrists in a single hand and pinned them above his head, snarling down at him. 'You'll pay for that!'

Yoh responded by twisting his body away again, trying to hit Hao with whatever free body part he had: his elbows, his knees but nothing had any effect as Hao ignored his attempts, flipping him over onto his stomach and grinding his hips forcefully into Yoh's, making the other whimper. Hao summoned another length of flame, this time it extinguished itself to reveal a thick strip of leather, which he used to lash Yoh's wrists to the headboard as tightly as he could, causing Yoh to cry out again.

Still struggling, Yoh tried to beg with him again, pleading him to release him as Hao pushed his feathered wings away. 'Please! You can't do this to me! Please, Hao!'

Hao slapped the back of his head, grabbing one wing at the elbow joint and squeezing the point of contact, hurting Yoh. 'I thought I told you to call me Master! And second of all, you seem to have forgotten your place _again _so your punishment will not be quick. It will linger on till you are inconsolable, writhing in pain beneath me as you scream for your Masters mercy, for his completion and his forgiveness.'

Yoh whimpered, burying his head in the pillow as Hao ordered him to retract his wings: it was only when he brought his knee up into Yoh's groin did he comply, groaning in pain as electricity ran up his spine and his mind went foggy. Hao took that moment to strip Yoh of what clothes he had left on, throwing them precariously over his shoulder and holding Yoh's legs down so he could take in the sight before him: he was so pale, he was almost luminescent, the sweat of fear and exertion clinging to his skin as he tried to shake Hao off and cover himself.

He was still vaguely aware of his pet pleading with him, begging him not to do it. It was there he paused, standing as his wings and horns disappeared back into his body, shrugging off his shirt and slipping out of his tight jeans. He glanced at Yoh, seeing him staring: the Demon smirked, crawling over the bed to Yoh and leaning down so close to him his nose almost touched his ear.

'Don't worry: you'll be getting all of me soon enough,' he whispered, licking the shell of his ear, making him shiver as Hao withdrew, Yoh kicking his legs half heartedly in a futile bid to fend him off.

'Don't touch me,' he said, Hao was unsure whether he meant to sound pleading, but he did, pathetically so.

'You are actually quite beautiful,' he muttered absently, before everything else was drowned out by Yoh's screams, filling the room and leaking out into the house below. The pillows he pressed his face into couldn't muffle the agonising screams, becoming hoarse and raw as the weak sun crawled across the sky and gave way to night: his cries and pleads became the lullaby of the other Demons through the darkness, seemingly never ending.

* * *

**Ok, just so we're clear - I can't write raep. I can write lemons, rough lemons, maybe even a threesome/moresome (I don't know about that yet). But I cannot write that. So, basically all you have is an implication that Hao took him many times.**

**R&R?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Al:** _*running in madly from the right. Exhausted*_ **OMG, it is so great to be back my freaky darlings!**

_*crickets chirping*_

**Al: Uh... hello? Anyone there? Where is everyone?**

**Hao:** _*reading a newspaper* _**They got bored and left.**

**Al: Wh-wh-what? B-but I have twincest! And you being mean to Yoh and -** _*crushed by stampede of fangirls*_ **Owww...**

**Hao:** _*barely looks at poor, injured authoress*_ **New chapter is up. Finally.** _*returns to reading paper*_

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Hao woke just after dawn, bloody crimson light piercing through the flimsy, gauzy drapes at the windows and bathing the room in a fiery glow. The red walls absorbed the light, reflecting the striking glow, almost blinding Hao with its surreal brightness. Stretching, he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he pushed his wild morning hair back from his face and tried to figure out how long he'd been asleep: the clock beside his bed read 4:56. He frowned: he'd only been asleep just under four hours, and he was still slightly exhausted after yesterday… and last night. Glancing to the side, his eyes were drawn down Yoh's naked back till his gaze met the quilt he had lazily thrown over the boy when he was satiated: that made him wince. There was a large, darker patch in the quilt over his buttocks, damp to the touch: his wrists were still lashed to the headrest, his straining arms locked tight in position as he buried his face into the pillow, asleep.

Hao sighed, reaching over to untie the bindings, his fingers brushing gently over Yoh's skin: it was impossible to miss the evident flinch from the touch. _Ah, so he wasn't asleep._ Hao cocked his head to one side as he loosened the leather away from the Angel, catching hold of one wrist before he could pull it back: Yoh whimpered, but he ignored it, gently checking the wrist over. Both were chafed red, tiny clusters of oozing blood splattered over the marked area like a ghoulish freckling: where the binds had held the tightest, there was an ugly, blackish- blue ring of bruising marring the skin further. He could feel Yoh begin to tremble again under his touch; he rolled his eyes, shaking his head but released his hand anyway. Yoh pulled it under his torso, despite the pain he must have felt when the shoulder and elbow simultaneously clicked and popped loudly back into place. Hao winced again at the noise: not because he was guilty over doing that to Yoh, he just hated that sound.

'How long have you been awake?' he asked brusquely, shaking his tangled mane of hair out of his eyes as Yoh muttered something into the pillow. 'What?'

He grabbed Yoh's shoulder and none-too-gently shoved him onto his side, causing him to cry out as an inferno raged through his aching muscles instantly. He had his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his hands resting on his shoulders so he hunched in on himself: probably the best way to make himself look smaller since he dared not move his legs. His eyes were bloodshot and wide with fear, tears glistening at the corners as his face flushed red. His lips were torn to shreds, a thin lines of blood trailing down his chin and descending further to the hollow of his neck: the right corner had an inch long gash towards the cheek, probably made by Hao's claws when they had invaded Yoh's panting mouth last night. He trembled all the more violently, staring up at Hao, who glowered down at him for not answering his question.

'Please,' he whispered, his voice hoarse and choked after all his screaming. 'Please… leave me alone…'

'Answer my fucking question!' he snapped, crawling closer to Yoh, who looked like he was about to have a panic attack. 'How long have you been awake?'

'Since… morning,' he wheezed, only to receive a slap from Hao. He whined quietly in the back of his throat, covering his head with his hands in case Hao hit him again, which he was probably planning to do as he yanked Yoh's head out from its, albeit weak, protection by a clump of hair and raised his other hand threateningly.

'Don't be fucking smart, it is morning - how long? A few minutes? An hour?' he demanded, hating the look of defencelessness on Yoh's face, his eyes squeezed shut to stop himself from crying.

'Y- yes-ter…d-da…ay morn… morning,' he cringed, unable to stop himself sobbing at the pressure on his head. With his eyes closed, he couldn't see the shocked look on Hao's face, nor the realisation that dawned on the Demon over the fact that Yoh had endured just under ten straight hours of sexual torture and then remained conscious for a further four hours, tied to a cum-and-blood dirtied bed with no food or water. His hold on Yoh's hair eased, and he let him fall back onto the mattress.

Thinking to himself for a moment, listening to Yoh's stifled sobs, he reached down and threw off the bed cover that was covering Yoh's legs and whistled, taking in the damage he'd done to the Angel. He was in a pretty bad shape, his thighs and rear smeared in dried and still-fresh blood, intermingled with Hao's semen on his pale flesh. There was a wide circle beneath his body of drying blood, and what skin Hao could see beneath all the stains was as bruised as his wrists: large, ugly clots of blood beneath the skin surface, splayed out in a chaotic pattern in violent purples and blues, sickly ochre layered over mauve and navy. On his hips, Hao traced his fingertips over four small disks of burnt tan, matching them to each hand. Beside him, he caught a whisper from Yoh's lips, and, turning to look at the Angel, leaned in closer to hear more clearly.

'Please, please, not again. You've had you're fun, please don't,' he chanted, over and over again, his eyes squeezed shut as he pressed his palms together, resting them against the bridge of his nose as he continued his mantra. Hao sighed, trying to avoid feeling guilty about this: he'd had other pets, he'd been just as rough with them. Granted they only lived for maybe a fortnight after, but hey, what the hell. However, he had never had an Angel before, and he wanted to savour the experience. Making up his mind, he slipped out of bed and grabbed a robe from the wardrobe on his way out, Yoh's eyes following him as he went.

'Fuck it,' he muttered to himself, gliding down the hallways around the quiet house. He couldn't believe he was bothering about a stupid pet - an Angel, no less. He was here of his own free will, he chose to stay - obviously it was for the Eclipse that was coming, and he was the one who was assigned the task of spying on them. He growled, halting in front of a door and walked without knocking into Kana's room.

The Succubus decorated her room minimalist, a bed and a wardrobe along with a vanity table strewn with make up and jewellery. She was sleeping in her queen sized bed, her faced turned towards the window, illuminating her features and outlining the dried, empty husk of last nights meal beside her. He grimaced: Succubae weren't picky about who or what they consumed, and it looked like she had had one of the Fair Folk - a young Sand Fey. Ignoring the mummified remains, he stood over her and shook her awake. Being a light sleeper (and mildly paranoid), she was up and alert within moments, sitting up sharply, pulling the covers with her to hide herself: she did have some dignity after all.

'What's wrong, Hao-sama?' she asked, whispering even in the empty room.

'I need you to prepare an early breakfast, just for myself,' he replied, a request rather than an order. 'Make it light - fruit, maybe some Chai tea… and orange juice,' he added, remembering how Yoh had drank orange juice the day before.

'Alright,' she agreed, not bothering to question him.

'Bring it up in 45 minutes, that should give you some time to… clean up,' he said after a moment, glancing at the body. Kana nodded as Hao began to leave.

'Very well, Master Hao.'

He returned to his own room quickly, though he was unsurprised to see that Yoh hadn't moved from where he lay considering the extent of his injuries. Hao could hear his weak sniffling from the doorway as he considered what to do next - a clean up was the obvious choice, as he headed straight for the bathroom and the grand bath that Yoh had studied yesterday. All the faucets were turned on with a single thought, the water heating to the exact temperature Hao wanted as it rushed out the pipes at full blast to fill the large marble bowl, Hao leaving them running as he returned to the bedroom and made his way towards Yoh again.

The Angel was still resting on his side, his eyes wide open as he glanced at Hao from the corner of his eye as the Demon stood over him. Pushing the covers right to the end of the bed, Hao inspected Yoh's lithe body once again, checking the wing tattoo's on his back vigilantly - any damage to the wings always showed on the tattoo. Seeing that the appendages were in good shape, after realising the spots of blood on them were on the actual skin itself, he proceeded his examination as Yoh remained statue-still, unsure of what he was planning to do. It was only when Hao's hand came to rest on his hip did he whimper softly, swallowing the lump in his throat as he watched Hao, a thoughtful expression on the others face before he looked back up at Yoh.

'Roll on to your back and put your arms around my neck,' he ordered calmly, hooking one arm under Yoh's knees and placing the other one around his shoulders as he waited for Yoh to do as he said. 'Come on, I haven't got all morning.'

Yoh, despite being in unimaginable pain, slowly rolled into Hao's grasp, hoping to avoid his quick temper: hesitantly, he reached his hands up and clasped them behind Hao's neck, barely having time to steady himself when Hao lifted him with ease off of the bed bridal style, returning to the bathroom with no further communication. Yoh looked over at the almost-full bath, the crystal clear waters stopping several inches from the alabaster edge and gleaming in the overhead lighting as the taps were switched off once again at Hao's thoughts. He watched as the steam rose lethargically from the surface in unfurling plumes, dissipating into the air and had the flitting notion that Hao was going to drown him, but that probably wouldn't benefit the Demon in the long run of having no toy for the nights. He couldn't believe that he was going to bathe him after torturing him all night long, but he made no complaints as Hao crouched down at the edge of the pool and eased Yoh into the steaming water feet first, letting him slide in at his own pace.

As the water hit his sore spots, the heat seeping into his aching muscles as it enveloped his battered body, he couldn't help but hiss in discomfort, grimacing as he settled himself in the calm waters, the floor just barely out of reach from his feet as he propped himself against the wall. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as his body adjusted to the heat: it was only when he heard the rustle of Hao's robe did he look up to see Hao stepping into the bath. He shifted as Hao swam towards him in long, languid strokes, coming up beside him before he could get very far. Yoh inhaled sharply, confused by Hao's apparent disinterest as he simply sat beside him, resting his arms on the rim and tilting his head back, the polar opposite of Yoh's tension.

'Relax,' he sighed, reaching behind him for a washcloth and an opaque white bottle from one of the various shelves, soaking the soft flannel and popping the lid off the container, pouring a little of the clear liquid onto the cloth. 'This is tea tree oil mixed with camomile and jasmine, meant to soothe aches and disinfect any small wounds.'

Yoh couldn't understand why he was being told this - what made Hao think he would believe anything he said? He flinched the instant Hao's fingertips came into contact with his skin, and was surprised when Hao pulled back slightly: his eyes darted towards him, fearful as his expression was deceptively blank. He reached for Yoh again and the Angel could not help but shrink away: he caught the flash of emotion in Hao's eyes, and his throat closed up, his mind conjuring all sorts of sadistic punishments Hao could think up.

'Flinch again and I'll slap you,' he said coolly, folding the material in half and cupping Yoh's face in one hand, bringing the remedy up to the gash at his mouth first. Yoh tried not to recoil as the cool mixture touched the slash, but the natural sting that was trademark of tea tree on an open wound made him hiss, grimacing as his skin began to tingle. He expected a harsh slap to strike his face, but Hao ignored his initial reaction to the liquid and continued his work, cleaning the blood stains off of his chin and neck, rubbing gently across his shoulders and down his arms. Yoh blushed under the gentleness of his actions, his 180-personality switch confusing him unbearably: he dreaded to think that he was being led into a false sense of security. That was definitely not going to happen, and he cowered back as Hao's ministrations went lower, over his cleaned torso and abdomen. Hao's open palm cracked off his face, his head jerking away from the blow.

'I warned you,' he snapped, and reached for Yoh again, when his hands were grabbed by Yoh's trembling digits. The soft, gentle hands clasped his wrists as tightly as he could, keeping him at bay for a moment as he stared at him, a vicious red flush brightening his left cheek.

'Please,' he whispered. 'Let me do it myself.'

Hao scoffed, shaking his head as he wrenched his hands away from Yoh, pressing them against the edge of the bath so he was trapped between the locked limbs. 'How many times do I have to say it? You aren't in charge here - you don't make demands, you don't get any say in what I do.'

Yoh gasped as Hao darted forward sharply, locking his arm tightly around his waist and drew him right up against his body, chests and hips pressed together unyieldingly as Hao dipped his hand between Yoh's legs, scrubbing the skin at the inner thighs, looping his arm around his body to clear away the dried blood and seed from the back of his legs and buttocks. Yoh writhed in discomfort under the harsher treatment, the rough strokes aggravating his injuries and causing him to whimper and whine against Hao's shoulder, his arms trapped at his sides. After what felt like hours, Hao let him go, tossing the rag onto the floor and pushing Yoh back against the marble.

'I'll see that Faust checks you out today: how fast do Angels usually heal?' he asked, stretching his arms.

'It… depends on their age, the source of their powers - a fire Angel would take longer to heal in a cold environment and such,' Yoh replied quietly, wrapping his arms around himself tightly, as if that would fend off Hao. He wondered who "Faust" was, and he definitely didn't like the sound of him examining him in anyway: he was so sore, he didn't think he could handle anymore from another Demon. His muscles and bones still smouldered from last nights painful exertion, Hao's treatment causing them to flare with every movement he now made but he couldn't allow himself to drop his arms and leave himself defenceless, even though he pretty much was.

'How long will it take you to heal?' he asked, returning to his position right in front of Yoh, smirking. Yoh shivered.

'I… I don't know,' he answered truthfully. 'I've never… this hasn't happened to me before… so…'

Hao nodded, looking thoughtfully at Yoh, trying to decipher if he was actually telling the truth. Yoh could barely breathe under his scrutiny, fearing the worst when Hao grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the bath along with him. Wrapping the Angel in the first towel he came to, he hooked his elbow under his knees once again and braced his back with his other arm, lifting him into his arms and carried Yoh back into the room.

'Ah!' Yoh cried aloud as he was unceremoniously dumped onto the bed, an explosion of pain racing through his nervous system: he clutched the towel around his hips tightly, grateful for the concealing material as he watched Hao disappear back into the bathroom, hearing the sound of draining water before Hao returned again with a towel of his own covering him modestly. Yoh hunched in on himself, curling up into a small ball on the mattress as he rested his forehead on his knees, dripping wet and agonised as Hao stared past him at what lay on the bedside stand.

Kana, Hao noticed, had changed the bed sheets while they had been in the bathroom as well as preparing the meal he had asked for. He looked past Yoh at the selection, noting that the tea was still hot - she couldn't have been long gone. Calculating that Yoh hadn't ate since the morning before, he strode over to the bed and slid onto the fresh sheets, gathering the platter of food and laying it beside Yoh: Yoh paid no attention to him as he sat cross legged against the headboard, barely a hands breadth between them. 'You must be hungry,' he stated, picking up a small orange segment and holding it out in front of Yoh. 'Eat.'

'I'm… not hungry…' he muttered. Hao sighed, reaching out towards Yoh, resting his hand upon his damp hair. Yoh cried aloud as his head was jerked back harshly by Hao, his hands shooting back to grapple at Hao's tightened fist while Hao used the advantage, pushing the fruit to the back of his throat with two fingers. Releasing his hair while Yoh choked and gagged against the hand blocking his mouth, he massaged the quivering throat to ease the transit. Feeling the lump pass down Yoh's oesophagus, Hao released him, Yoh pushing his hands away further as he continued to cough and splutter, turning away when he saw Hao reach for another piece of fruit.

'You're going to eat, one way or another,' Hao explained calmly: Yoh shook his head, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

'St… op,' he breathed heavily, trying to control his coughing fit.

'I've barely started,' Hao replied nonchalantly, taking hold of Yoh's arm to force him to turn around.

'Stop _hurting_ me,' he gasped, tears in his eyes. Hao stopped, the only thing heard in the room was Yoh's breathing.

'You're going to eat,' he said finally. Yoh kept his head turned away, sweeping his fingers across his cheeks, brushing away his tears. Hao sighed, taking hold of Yoh's arm again gently. 'Turn around and lie down.'

Yoh glanced over his shoulder at him sceptically: Hao met his gaze evenly. 'It's either this way or my way. You will eat.'

Yoh swallowed, wiping his mouth one more time before shifting to lie on his back, keeping a tight hold on the towel that was the only thing covering him, watching Hao apprehensively as the Demon picked up a strawberry.

'Close your eyes,' he ordered. Yoh blinked, staring at him. 'I'm not above shoving it down your throat again.'

Yoh closed his eyes hesitantly, trembling as he waited for whatever Hao was planning to do to him. He could barely hear Hao's soft movements, and he considered opening his eyes again when he felt a soft pressure on his mouth. Inhaling sharply, Hao grasped his chin and coaxed his lips apart, pushing a small piece of strawberry onto Yoh's tongue with his own. Yoh swallowed easily, as Hao's mouth descended on him a few seconds later with more strawberry.

After several minutes, Hao pressed their lips together again, and Yoh opened his mouth slightly again and Hao's tongue entered his warm cavern again, minus the fruit. Yoh's eyes flew open as Hao suddenly deepened the kiss, cupping his face in his hands as he rolled over the sheets onto Yoh, the towel falling away from him as he pressed his body against Yoh's. Struggling, Yoh pushed at his shoulders with all of his strength, which was meagre and dwindling fast as Hao plundered his mouth relentlessly. He ignored the nails dragging across his skin, feeling Yoh's half dry skin move against him as he twisted and struggled beneath him, the towel quickly becoming loose as the soft material rubbed his hardening erection with every one of Yoh's movements. He moaned deeply, wanting Yoh all over again when he suddenly bit down on Hao's tongue, tasting blood before he let ago.

'Fuck!' Hao growled, wiping his mouth as he jerked back from Yoh as if he'd been shocked, straddling his hips as he swallowed his own blood. Yoh's arms flew into an X above his head, protecting himself from what Hao was surely going to do next.

'You fucking bitch!' he cursed again, pressing a fingertip onto his tongue before drawing it away to look at the red fluid. 'Damn you…' His mind went through a list of possibilities he could inflict upon Yoh, many of which would cause him more pain below the waistline when an idea came to him. Remembering Yoh's behaviour to the shoes that resided by the bed yesterday, he leaned down over the side of the bed, partially pressed against Yoh as he reached for them, blindly searching for… whatever he was searching for while Yoh quickly realised what he was doing and lunged for his wrists, trying to stop him. He already knew there was something there, what did it matter now to hide it anymore?

They wrestled frantically, not really paying attention to what they were doing, just their individual goals concerning the shoes. Having cast aside one of them already, Hao was desperately trying to find the other one that had established itself further under the bed, Yoh fighting him as best as he could given the fact he was pinned beneath him and mostly in pain. Hao had had enough, grabbing Yoh's bruised wrists in one hand and squeezing tightly: a hiss of pain escaped his lips as Hao reached down and picked up the remaining shoe, breathing heavily and ignoring Yoh's whimpers. Reaching into it, his fingers brushed over a hard, cool object: plucking it from its confines, he held the crystal earring up to the light and examined it. Yoh watched him warily, trying to figure out what he was planning to do with it. As if to answer his question, he pushed Yoh's face roughly to the side, exposing his pierced ear and slid the earring into the small hole in his flesh. Taking a wrist in either hand, he pinned them on either side of Yoh's head relentlessly, looking him square in the face as Yoh heard the connection flare up.

'Tell me who's on the other end of that thing,' he ordered. _Oh, shit - that's what he wanted._ 'Say their names, and I'll go easier on you. Just tell me what I want to know.'

Yoh shook his head bravely, refusing to give up his friends to be butchered the next time they strayed from Etherea as Ren's voice came in clear, sounding worried.

'_What the hell, Yoh?' Ren snapped, clearly sounding worried. 'Where have you been?'_

Hao leaned in closer, listening to their conversation patiently. Yoh swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut. 'I'm alright.'

'_Have you gotten anything, yet? None of us want you there for too long_,'_ he added._

'N-Not yet,' he whispered, unable to keep his voice from cracking.

'_Yoh?' Ren asked, the worry building in his tone. 'Yoh, talk to me - tell me what's wrong!'_

'I can't,' he whispered, grimacing as the pressure on his wrists increased.

'_What do you mean you can't - Yoh,' Ren said slowly. 'You're not alone, are you? Who else is there with you?'_

Yoh sniffled, unable to speak when Hao released one of his hands and yanked the earring out of his lobe, causing him to yelp in surprise. Hooking it through his own ear, he heard the worried shouts of the Angel, calling Yoh's name. He smirked, looking at Yoh as he spoke silky smooth to Ren. 'Yoh can no longer take your call, please leave your message after the tone.'

Taking it out of his ear, he crushed it easily between his finger and his thumb as Yoh watched him do it, horrified. Hao's smirk grew. 'Guess it's just you and me now.'

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**Al:** _*wrapped in bandages and leaning on a crutch*_ **Reviews will make me feel better...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yayz... update. **

**Enjoy my freaky darlings.**

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'What are we going to do?' Horo gasped, biting his nails while Ren paced silently around the room with urgency: Lyserg sat slumped over on his chair, his hands clasped behind his head as if he was going to be sick, and judging by his hyperventilating, he was going to be. 'Ren, what should we do?'

He received no answer, just quicker footfalls on the white floor beneath them: Ren was looking nowhere in particular, his metallic gold eyes unfocused as he continued his route around the room. 'Ren?'

'Damn it, I don't know!' he exploded, whirling around to glare at Horo, making both of his friends jump. 'I don't know what we are going to do, I don't know what we can do - we weren't supposed to be doing this in the first place! Yoh was never meant to be there! We were never meant to go behind everyone's backs just so we could get the information everyone has been hunting for, for months! We were never… we never should…'

Ren couldn't say anymore: he was running out of anger as his voice cracked, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes as he turned away from Horo, shielding them with his forearm. He was silent, his body did not move as he cried: he did not show weakness, his pride would not let him. Regardless, Horo came up behind him, resting a hand gently on his shoulder: Ren trembled beneath him, the only sign of his emotions.

'We should never have wanted the glory,' he whispered, pulling his arm away and doing a quick sweep under his eyes to get rid of the tears before turning round to face Horo, his features once again calm, ready for the next action. 'We need to get Yoh back.'

'We'll need a new plan,' Lyserg said weakly from his chair: Horo quietly came over to sit beside him, his hand moving to rub slow, soothing circles on his friend's back. His breathing slowed, his chest constricting less as he became less nauseous, his mind returning to a stable, sequenced line of thought that was notable of Crystal Angels.

'Well, let's start, then.'

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Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…

Yoh tried to focus on keeping his breathing steady, his chest rising and falling slowly with every controlled breath he took as he tried to ignore the pain. It was so difficult though: with every expansion of his lungs that pushed against his ribs, they screamed in protest, their cries echoed in the surrounding muscles and stretching out into his body. He was sure at least one was cracked, the nausea inducing agony that came from every breath made him want to retch: if there was ever a time he wished he could stop breathing, now was the time.

On his back was the least painful way to lie, and he'd discovered that the hard way: half of his body was sensitive, the cool silken sheets wrapped around him offered little soothing to his aching, battered limbs. He felt severed from his arms that hadn't moved for over ten hours: his wrists and hands were functioning on autopilot, the feeling no longer in them. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for anything below the waist.

His breath quickened involuntarily, residue panic overriding the rational part of his brain that told him they were just memories of last night, over and done with. He felt disgusting, even after the bath he'd had: removing the evidence didn't change anything. It didn't change the fact he'd been used continuously, his own body betraying him even amidst the pain. He could still feel the remains of what had been done to him all over his skin, goose bumps crawling across his flesh as he tried to ignore the sordid sensation.

Hao had not repeated the torture after he'd destroyed the communicator. Instead, he went after his mind: his hands lightly touching, caressing Yoh's body as he tormented him with the gentleness, both of them knowing very well that he could change in an instant. His fingers had roamed all over his sensitive skin while he straddled Yoh's hips to trap the Angel beneath him as he whispered what he _might_ do to him, what he _could _do to him. All the while Yoh had shivered and shaken, hypnotised by Hao's steady gaze and his cruel smirk, unable to tear his eyes away from the burning iridescent void of his irises.

Hao was clearly an expert when it came to messing with minds, knowing what to say and what to do in perfect unison: telling him he could brand him permanently as he touched his neck, detailing graphically the things he could use on Yoh's body when he ran a single finger down the centre of his chest, even threatening he could let the other Demons use him as they pleased. Yoh had lost his composure at that point, when Hao had encircled his flaccid member and squeezed it lightly, licking his lips sensually. The Angel had cried out loudly, twisting away from him and throwing his arms out to push him back: Hao had let go immediately, laughing as he'd gotten up off the bed and re-wrapped one of the towels around himself, obviously enjoying the view of Yoh curled up naked in the foetal position, watching him with terrified eyes as his body trembled.

That wild movement had cost him, his body screaming at him to stop moving, his stomach rolling dangerously as bile rose in his throat and his vision went black for a moment. He almost wished he had passed out, at least then he wouldn't have to feel his body being ripped apart from the inside out, or whatever Hao was planning to do to him next.

He opened his eyes, ever so slowly pushing himself into a sitting position to look around from where he lay to locate Hao quickly: he was standing in front of a mirror that hadn't been there the last time Yoh had looked, brushing his hair. Hao must have caught him looking through the reflection, glancing over his shoulder and smirking superiorly: Yoh squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out everything around him. He hated looking at Hao for too long, his Demonic beauty burning a permanent image onto his retinas, his silky voice still whispering in his ear. And now, he was bringing another Demon into the room freely: he didn't trust Hao in what he said; he didn't believe that Demons would need doctors. Then again, he had no idea of Demons healing capabilities.

Instinct told him to open his eyes again, and he jerked back sharply when he did: Hao was standing over him, looking down at him with one hand on his hip and the other holding the paddle brush. He reached down with the brushless hand - causing Yoh to move back again sharply - and simply drew the duvet back over Yoh's lower body, keeping his chest exposed.

'You should really stop the wild movements,' he drawled lazily, running the brush through his already-smooth hair. 'You've lost your vision a few times already, haven't you?'

_Yes._ 'No,' Yoh replied. He wasn't planning on telling him when he was vulnerable. Well, more vulnerable.

'Liar,' Hao smiled: it didn't matter whether he indulged Hao or not with the truth, the Demon seemed to know what he was thinking. Hao's smile broadened, as if he'd heard that thought as well. Yoh frowned, about to say something when there was a knock on the door, and Hao's attention turned towards the sound. 'Enter.'

Yoh's heart was in his throat as the door swung open and a tall, ominous-looking man stepped into the room and shut the door behind him: if Hao was scary, this guy was terrifying. He carried a brown leather bag in one gloved hand, so Yoh guessed this was the "doctor" Hao wanted him to see.

He should have written his last Will and Testament. There was no way this guy was all about the Healing: his skin was an unhealthy pale grey colour, his long white coat hanging off his broad shoulders like it had nothing but bones beneath it. He wore no shirt, and Yoh almost retched when he saw a patch of skin on his left side that was an unnatural indigo-blue, methodical stitching running over the line between his (supposedly) normal skin colour and…that. Yoh didn't realize he had curled up in a ball again until his knees hit his chest, the material of the duvet rubbing against his chest: the Demon didn't seem to notice, he was too busy speaking to Hao in a hushed voice as Yoh continued to study him.

His heavy buckled boots and tight leather pants screamed I'm-anything-_but_-a-doctor, his legs as thin as the rest of him: Yoh couldn't figure out what kind of Demon he was, the only tattoo on him was a simple black line around his neck and blue lipstick on his bottom lip. Oh, wait no: that wasn't lipstick, and he had purple bruises under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in weeks. Those eyes suddenly turned to Yoh, and he shrank back, turning his eyes gaze away: he heard the Demon walking towards him, and it took all of his willpower not to try and bolt across the room. Hao was doing nothing, sitting cross legged on the end of the bed in front of Yoh, pulling the brush through another patch of hair.

'How long will this take, Faust?' he asked.

'Depends on how badly his injuries are,' "Faust" answered drily, the first one Yoh had ever heard speak like when addressing Hao. Kneeling beside the bed, Yoh could see his defined jaw line more clearly and high cheekbones: he would probably be beautiful if he didn't look so scary, with his steady gaze and sweeping blonde hair. It took him a minute to realize he was talking to him.

'What?' he asked stupidly. Faust smiled calmly.

'Your name? Mine is Faust, and you don't have to be scared, I'm not going to hurt you,' he replied, in a soothing, soft voice, removing his gloves. It was hard to imagine at that point him losing his temper at anyone.

'It's Yoh…' he muttered back, still hunched over where he sat.

'Alright, Yoh,' he used his name with that same whispering voice. 'Can you lower your legs so I can get a proper look at you?'

Yoh hesitated, glancing between Hao and Faust: the former shifted, as if he was about to move and make him do as Faust asked. His legs slowly slid down the bed, lying straight out in front of him. His hands clenched the bed sheets tightly though, keeping the duvet in place over everything below the waist. Faust went straight to work, first feeling his forehead with the back of his cold hand, then moving his fingers down to beneath his chin on either side, close to his ears and running them down under his jaw line. He repeated the movement a second time, before moving to sit on the edge of the bed beside Yoh.

'Do you have a headache? Thirst? Shivers?' Yoh shook his head no. 'No sign of a fever, good.'

'Why would he have a fever?' Hao sighed. Faust glared at him scathingly.

'When the body gets infected, maybe through open wounds-' he nodded towards the gash on Yoh's face. 'The body temperature rises to fight the infection, so you get a fever. I need to do a basic check, Hao, if I want to make sure he's ok.'

He turned his attention back to Yoh, and held up two fingers either side of his head, out of Yoh's line of vision. 'Look straight ahead and tell me when you see my fingers.'

'…Now,' he replied obediently, when he caught the shadow of Faust's thin fingers. He wasn't sure what the point of this was, but Faust did say it was a basic check, though shining a light in both his eyes was probably unnecessary.

'Have you blacked out at all? Vision blurry? Distorted?' Faust reeled off.

'I've lost vision once or twice,' he muttered. Faust nodded, as if this was the answer he was looking for. Then he started more thorough checks, placing the cold disk of the stethoscope to Yoh's chest. Breathing in and out on Faust's count, he winced at the pressure on his ribs, not overlooked by the doctor. It was deduced that two of his ribs on one side had been cracked, which Hao received another look from Faust for, and that he'd bruised a muscle at his shoulder after Faust checked his wrists and other joints.

'I'm going to have to do an internal examination,' Faust said, hesitating. Yoh moved back, shaking his head: Hao frowned, as if he wasn't too fond of the idea either. 'I'll have to, to make sure nothing has been damaged.'

Yoh whined in the back of his throat, biting his lip.

'Just lie on your stomach and think of something else,' Faust encouraged, snapping on a pair of latex gloves, ignoring Hao's death glares. Yoh breathed deeply, shaking as he slowly maneuvered onto his front, when all of a sudden he heard a sharp intake of breath. He looked over his shoulder worriedly to see Faust not looking at him, but at Hao.

'_Hao!_' Faust hissed, leaping to feet as he glared at the Demon. 'What the _Hell_ is the meaning of this?'

'Oh, don't start the whole concerned parent thing, it doesn't suit you,' Hao replied nonchalantly, shrugging.

'I'm _not_ doing the concerned parent, I'm doing the severely pissed off older Demon act,' Faust growled. 'He's an _Angel_? You decided you'd bring an _Angel_ in as your pet?'

'Ok, I know you're personally against the idea-' Hao started, rolling his eyes.

'_Against_ it? Hao, I'd hand you over to Them myself if you were any other Demon – you know how I feel about such a thing and you asked me to treat him? Do you respect that little?' he demanded: Hao fixed him with a steady gaze.

'You are probably the one I respect the most in the Shadow Lands, but I know the risks,' he replied. 'No Angels have stormed through the Portals, no one has come to save him yet – I'm starting to think he wants to be here to find out our plans.'

'What do I care about his reasons for staying here? I don't want any shit landing at my door,' Faust snapped, turning his back on Hao and refocused on the tattoo covering Yoh's back. 'Are they damaged in anyway?'

'I don't know, the tattoo seems fine,' Hao answered, shrugging as he settled back onto the bed.

'Bring them out, if it's not too painful for you,' he requested from Yoh, who nodded gently and began to unfurl the gossamer soft appendages. Hao hadn't actually taken a proper look at his wings, focusing more on Yoh's body than anything else, so now that Faust was busy examining them, he moved around so he could see them, trying to memorize as much as he could about the wings that he could see.

They probably weren't as big as Hao's, but they were majestic nonetheless: the scapulars that were embedded in his shoulder blades were ruffled and disorderly, while the axillaries underneath were so much fluffier in appearance Hao wanted to reach out and touch them. He resisted, however: what did he care if they were beautiful or not? It was yet another part of the Angel's anatomy he could study more closely.

Soft downy lesser coverts covered the line of large bones and joints, folding and straightening out easily as the limbs flexed. Just as birds had military precision lines of feathers on their wings, the feathers sprouting from Yoh's back ranged in size: the median and greater coverts that changed drastically in length from the primary lesser feathers, both them and their Under wing partners as long as his forearm. The secondary's fell in a neat row, thick and faultless: the primary's, the furthest away from his body and the largest feathers at almost the length of his whole arm, quivered and fluttered in a soft rustling as the feathers brushed against each other in their movement.

They were so powerful: the blinding colour of them saturated in each fibre of the individual feathers. At first glance, he was sure they were pure white, like his tattoo, but other colours filtered through the initial glare: pale turquoise and pastel chartreuse, a faint glimmer of aquamarine and sky blue. He was sure he saw a rich, milky cream undertone, but the wings folded back on themselves, slipping under the skin again until they were nothing more than tattoos.

'They're fine,' Faust affirmed, changing the gloves he wore again and pushed the duvet that was covering Yoh completely out of the way. Yoh whimpered, his face buried in the pillows: Hao simultaneously growled threateningly, causing Faust to sigh in exasperation.

'For God's sake! I have a woman back home that gives me more than enough satisfaction, so I'm hardly interested in anything that's in your bed, Hao,' he snapped. 'Nor am I that unprofessional! Turn around and face the other way if you have a problem, and you,' he addressed Yoh, 'need to relax. I'm not going to hurt you.'

Hao bit the inside of his mouth as Faust began the exam, stopping himself from lunging at the Skeleton Demon. Some sort of instinctual possessiveness rose up in him: only he could be that close to Yoh, only he could touch the Angel so intimately. The Angel, however, barely moved throughout the whole thing, only completely relaxing when Faust moved away, removing the latex from his hands and leaning back.

'There's some internal trauma – not as bad as I expected, but coupled with the external damage, I'd advise against sexual intercourse for some time,' he stated carefully, hands on his hips.

'Advise?' Hao repeated, smirking. Faust scowled.

'Let me make myself clearer, Hao: do _not_ have sex with Yoh in the next few days,' he blatantly ordered. Hao glared at him.

'What gives you the right to tell what to?'

'Hao,' he sighed, dragging him over to the door where they could talk quietly. Yoh didn't care, his heart hammering in his chest at the thought of Hao leaving him alone: perhaps now, he could carry on his mission. He just hoped Hao would listen to Faust: he would probably die the next time Hao thought he needed punished.

'You really ought to think about this,' Faust hissed, his arms folded across his chest. 'You keep playing rough with him and you won't have him for very long. Then we'll see if the Angels want him back so much.'

'Stop being so dramatic, and anyway, his mouth and his body seemed to disagree on what he liked,' Hao replied, remembering the number of times he got Yoh off the night before.

'Hao, just because his body naturally responds to certain stimulation, it does not mean he likes it,' Faust explained with exaggerated patience. That got Hao's attention: he raised his eyebrow cynically, looking up at Faust with mild interest.

'You know it's true: he was probably running on nothing but adrenaline the whole time, that's why he didn't even pass out. But you know yourself he did _not_ want you to do _any_ of that to him,' Faust reprimanded fiercely. Hao broke eye contact guiltily: Faust and Opacho were the only two Demons who could get under his skin like this: glancing over at Yoh, he would get so pissed if it turned out this Angel could do the same.

'Fine, I'll give him time to heal: but don't expect me not to touch him,' he added, thinking of those gorgeous wings. Faust smiled, as if reading his mind.

'Just be careful. I have a cream that will numb the pain for a period of time, but Angels heal faster according to their element,' he explained.

'He said something like that. Can you tell what his element is from his wings?' Hao asked. Faust shook his head.

'The colour is maybe the only clue you have. He won't tell you exactly what he is, though, he risks exposing any weaknesses that come with his element: Fire Angels would obviously have a problem with water or cold climates, Wood Angels would struggle in cities and so on,' he added. Hao gazed at Yoh's back, at the wings that adorned it: he knew he couldn't be a Water or Ice Angel, Hao would've felt any negative effects. He just felt a power rush; being able to dominate the Angel so easily, trap him beneath him was exhilarating: a perfect high.

'Hao?' Faust snapped him out of his daydream, already walking back to his medical bag. 'I have the cream and a few other things with me. I'll give both of you the instructions.'

'Alright,' he shrugged. He really wanted to know what Yoh's element was.

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**Next chappie reveals Yoh's element. ^.^**

**R&R**


	8. Chapter 8

**I promised you an update before christmas, my freaky darlings and I always deliver ;P**

**Anyway, here's my latest update. Merry Xmas xxx**

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Yoh shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable amidst the duvet and sheets: the cream that Faust had applied to his skin was blissfully numbing the pain, but he had to heal on his own if he ever wanted to fully explore the mansion, and quickly. Hao was currently speaking to Faust outside the room, the door closed behind them so Yoh couldn't hear any of their conversation; which, he wasn't sure as being a good or bad thing, but he trusted Faust a little bit. At least the Demon hadn't tried to hurt him in any way, and he'd warned Hao against further injuring Yoh: he even supplied him with healing creams and medicines, which he was grateful for since it meant he could move more easily without feeling too much pain. The only thing he didn't like was the fact that he still had no clothes to wear, and he didn't want to find out what would happen when Faust finally left.

He sat up hesitantly, keeping the duvet drawn right up to his chin as he glanced towards the balcony door: he hadn't felt the soft breeze of the wind for what seemed like ages. He desperately wanted to get outside, to get some air and to stretch his wings – he just wanted to fly, even if it was for a short while. However, he doubted he'd be able to get across the room without Hao coming back in and (at the very least) killing him for even trying it, and if he got outside the other Demons would probably see him as well as take a shot at him. He sighed, stretching his legs straight out under the heavy covers and leaned back against the headboard, looking up at the canopy above his head.

The door clicked open a moment later, and his gaze shot to the Demon that entered the room: Hao ignored him as he strode over to his wardrobe, half disappearing inside after he opened the door and began to rummage through the clothes. Yoh watched him in silence through half closed eyes as the Demon pulled a black denim jacket and scarlet shirt out of wardrobe to match the faded jeans he had pulled on earlier. Clearly he was going out, as he wrapped himself up in the thin material and turned momentarily to Yoh.

'Faust and I have some matters to attend to, stay in bed for the rest of the day till I get back and don't leave the room under _any_ circumstances,' he ordered coolly, in a tone that wasn't to be questioned. Yoh stared at him through half lidded eyes in silence, as Hao turned away and left the room purposefully without a backward glance, as if knowing Yoh wouldn't try to get away. Shutting the door firmly behind him, he slid the heavy brass key into the lock and turned it till it clicked, penning Yoh in the room till he got back. Hao knew there was always the option of the window, but even if he escaped, Yoh would never be able to hide from him: no amount of bathing would completely get rid of Hao's essence, trapped forever on his skin - a beacon leading Hao right back to him.

'You ready?' Faust asked, leaning against the wall as Hao pocketed the key.

'Yes,' he sighed, shaking his dark mane of hair. 'I'll give everyone their stupid fucking answers then hopefully they'll leave me alone to finish everything before the Eclipse.'

'You're optimistic today,' Faust replied dryly. Hao glared at him, pushing his way past and walking down the hall.

Yoh waited till he heard footsteps moving away from the door before he threw off the covers and attempted to make his way over to the balcony. Gently turning his body, he pulled his legs out from underneath the duvet and extended them carefully till his feet touched the floor. Pausing to make sure there were no side effects, such as nausea or sight-loss, he kept his movements slow and easy, locking his arms as he pushed himself up into full stance, bracing his legs for his whole weight. He breathed deeply, wary as exhaustion began to creep up on him already as he grabbed the red blanket on the bed, wrapping it around his waist loosely so he kept some decency. He began to walk over to the balcony, keeping his footsteps as more of a shuffle than his usual long, laid-back strides. He just needed some fresh air, and then he'd be alright.

Keeping his attention half on the noises outside the door, he got to the balcony's door with no disturbances – hopefully, the other Demons had followed Hao to wherever he was going and wouldn't disturb Yoh anyway. Glancing over his shoulder at the locked door once more, he pushed the sheer, filmy curtains out of his way and pushed the handles down firmly for both doors: Hao hadn't even bothered to lock them, and Yoh pulled them open with a grateful sigh.

The glass doors swung wide open till they hit the walls on both sides and fresh air swirled into the room in a powerful wave, a salty tang on it as the mighty crash of the waves reached his ears on the top of the cliff. In front of him was a vast ocean, the weak sun filtering through the red hued clouds to hit its pale grey surface as cool air engulfed him in a bear hug. Falling to his knees on the balcony, the cold marble seeping into his skin, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes as his wings burst out in a feathery rush from his back, spreading out behind him to their full length as the air prickled his skin, sending electric tingles through his nerves. He smiled, wrapping his arms around his naked torso as he felt his injuries disappear, feeling neither the cold nor the uncomfortable hard surface he was sitting upon. His wings pulsated and quivered as the wind ended to them, a soft, hazy aura of pure white enveloping his whole body, the greens and blues and creams in his wings being absorbed by the light.

'Stupid fucking bastard,' Hao cursed to himself, pulling the key out of his pocket again as he came up to his bedroom door. Next time he should check which jacket he'd put his phone in: why the fuck did he have so many black jackets anyway? He needed a damn wardrobe overhaul. Now he had to look like an idiot in front of the Angel.

He sighed, slipping the key into the lock and turning it so it clicked for the second time that day, opening it gently in case Yoh tried to push past him in a surprise escape attack. Nothing happened, and he pushed the door open the rest of the way.

He noticed two things simultaneously.

One, it was cold and two: Yoh wasn't in bed.

He snarled, catching sight of the open balcony doors and darted towards it, his feet barely touching the padded carpet as his wings sprouted from his back, prepared to take off when he faltered, stumbling to an ungraceful stop as he suddenly saw Yoh.

What else could he do except stare? Yoh was on his knees on the balcony, his wings stretched wide as he tipped his head back as far as it would go, his pale, slender neck arching so gracefully. His hands travelled up his arms, the fingertips lightly brushing the skin as they graced that beautiful neck, running up through his hair before his arms extended above his head erotically. He made little noises in the back of his throat, gasping and mewling in pleasure, a bright white lighting emanating from his body, as if he was set alight from the inside. His wings fluttered wildly in the strong wind, reinvigorated from some resource. That was when Hao realized: he knew Yoh's element, he knew where he got his power and strength from, and what possible weaknesses he could have. The only problem was: he also knew how Yoh could be his downfall.

He just kept staring at the figure before him, dark eyes drinking in the curves and lines of the Angel's body, the way he moved so sensually in undulating waves under the caress of his element. Hao's already tight jeans began to get uncomfortably claustrophobic as he imagined Yoh moving like that beneath him wantonly, begging on his own free will for more of what Hao would happily give him: he could see Yoh's arms and legs wrapped tightly around his body, pulling him close instead of being bound to the bedposts. God, and that light that surrounded him – he wanted to know what it was, how to absorb it from Yoh's skin.

He growled deep in the back of his throat, wanting to take Yoh there and then again and forgetting that he could actually hear him until Yoh's head whipped around. A gasp of surprise passed his lips as he stared up at the Demon with bright brown eyes that seemed more alert than they had when Hao first left him. His arms wrapped themselves around his naked torso, trying to cover as much as he could from Hao's intense gaze: the light around him dimmed till it was extinguished and his wings dropped down to his sides slightly, but didn't lose their healthy sheen. The scratch on his cheek was gone.

'I…' he began, watching Hao fearfully, his eyes flicking over his shoulders. It took a minute for Hao to realize that Yoh was looking at his still outstretched bat-wings protruding from his back: he didn't pull them into his body, keeping them out for intimidation as he folded his arms in front of his chest, his stare turning cold and steely.

'I just needed some air…' Yoh said weakly, his heart hammering in his chest: Hao had seen him; he knew he had seen him and understood what he was doing. It was as obvious as a lizard basking in the sun for its heat, the vital energy source that kept him going throughout the days. Now Hao had that information to do as he wished, and Yoh was even more vulnerable than he had been before. 'I wasn't going to…'

'I told you to stay in bed,' Hao cut over him: fuck, was that really his voice? It hardly held any authority whatsoever, but that didn't stop Yoh flinching away when he reached for him, his wings curving up around him as a way of protection. Frowning, Hao grasped Yoh's upper arms as gently as he could, pulling him to his feet; and when the red blanket around his hips almost fell, he caught it effortlessly in one hand and pulled it back up Yoh's body till the Angel grabbed hold of it with both hands. Covered fairly well, he followed Hao in a state of shock back to the bed, where the Demon rearranged the covers before guiding Yoh underneath the heavy duvet.

'Do you need pyjama's?' he asked, straightening the red blanket across the large bed without looking at Yoh.

'Um…' he tried to find his voice, unable to think of anything to say. Regardless of his lack of response, Hao walked over to the closet once again and disappeared inside the heavy structure. Within moments, he returned with a pair of dark blue, baggy cotton trousers and tossed them towards Yoh as he crossed the room towards the still-open window. He shut it firmly, locking it and drawing the thin curtains across it. He didn't turn round, staring out through the filmy material as he heard Yoh shift and move under the duvet, pulling on his borrowed pj's. He couldn't look at him right now: it seemed Yoh was refusing to look at him as well, unable to decipher what was going on in the Demon's head.

'Stay in the room until I get back,' Hao ordered calmly, his voice returning to somewhere in the realm of normal. He knew Yoh wouldn't listen to him, and would foolishly run around the house trying to find something concrete to go on as to the when's and where's of the Demonic operation. He looked over at Yoh, finally, resting one hand on his hip. 'I can't protect you from any of the others from where I'll be – the safest thing for you to do, would be to stay. Here.'

Yoh glanced at him, his face blank as Hao turned and walked out of the room, remembering to snatch up the jacket he had on the day before and searched its pockets, retrieving the small mobile from one of the pockets. He didn't forget to lock the door behind him after he'd thrown the jacket back into the room.

Outside the room, Hao visibly sagged against the doorjamb, rubbing his forehead. He was having a fan-bloody-tastic week, and he suddenly wanted to go to this stupid get-together even less now: he wanted to be back in the room, underneath the covers with Yoh. And now he knew why that urge was so strong.

'Hao?' Faust called from the bottom of the stairs, looking up the steps from the edge of the banister. 'Are you ready to go?'

Hao cleared his throat before he answered. 'Yes, just coming, Faust.'

Faust raised eyebrow when Hao appeared before him was enough to tip him off about his appearance.

'What? What's wrong?' he asked defensively, slipping his phone into his jeans pocket as they walked towards the main door.

'I said no sex with Yoh,' he said disapprovingly. 'You couldn't even follow my orders as a doctor for an hour you had to go t it again with him?'

'I didn't have sex with him!' he replied indignantly, glaring at Faust, slamming the front door behind them and stalking after him down the path.

'Oh please, you're looking over-satiated and you have an after-glow.'

'That's because…' Hao hissed, breaking off, wondering if he should continue.

'Because…?' Faust prompted, shaking his head. Hao scowled, grabbing the shoulder of Faust's coat, pulling him closer so he could hiss in his ear: 'He's an Air Angel.'

Faust stared at him for a moment, his vibrant eyes wide and disbelieving as Hao waited for some sort of response from him. He expected a lecture, or a strict warning about getting rid of him as soon as possible: he was not expecting… Faust laughing at him. Actually laughing. At him.

He stared at Faust incredulously as the elder's shoulder shook as whole-hearted chortles escaped his lips, his face brightening underneath the bags under his eyes and unnaturally coloured lips. He threw his head back as the laughter continued, covering his face with one hand, wiping away the gleeful tears from his eyes.

'Oh my… Hao, someone up there really doesn't like you…' he chuckled.

'Only one? Lucky me,' Hao snapped. 'Do you mind telling me any particular reason why you find this so amusing?'

'Because, Hao,' Faust began, smiling. 'You're officially screwed, and not in the good way: you spent a whole night with him, absorbing his energy and his power. Whenever you're around him, you feel stronger, more content, don't you? Just as air fuels fire, he's been giving you strength since the moment you met him and just as fire is dependent on air, the more time you spend round him, the more you'll crave him. You'll want him more and more, and as soon as he finds out, he'll be able to use it against you – '

'He won't – he doesn't have that controlling streak, he's too soft,' Hao argued.

'So is a tiger's fur, but see how fluffy it is when pushed into a corner,' Faust retaliated, sighing. 'He's a drug to you, and if continue to do what you do to him, you'll become one hell of as junkie.'

'No I won't – I'll control it. He won't get to me,' Hao argued strongly.

'Hao,' Faust looked at him with a steady gaze. 'He already has.'

Hao glared at him with a scowl, his lips pulled into a thin line: he broke eye contact with Faust first, shaking his head. Faust was right, of course, but it wasn't as if he was about to tell him that: he just needed time to think, to get his head straightened out while he was away from Yoh and his influence.

'Where is he now?' Faust asked.

'Locked in my room, but he'll probably find a way out: the Succubae are still in though, so if he's smart he'll stay where he is,' he replied. 'He shouldn't be touched though, I've warned them before about what would happen if anyone does.'

'Let's hope they heed your warning,' Faust said. 'Come on, we're going to be late.'

Kana, Macchi and Mari watched silently from the second floor window as Hao and Faust spread their wings and ascended into the sky, until they became nothing but tiny black dots in the crimson sky.

'I don't see what is so special about that Angel,' Macchi scowled.

'Hao-sama seems to like him, judging from the noises last night,' Mari smirked.

'Maybe we should find out more first hand,' Macchi said, smiling viciously.

'Hao-sama will kill you – he seemed concerned about him this morning,' Kana argued.

'Hao-sama isn't here,' Macchi smiled. Kana raised an eyebrow back, a smile curling the sides of her mouth.

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**Yes, I know Air is Yoh's eement, technically, but it ties into the story better.**

**R&R?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here you are, my freaky darlings xxx**

**Sorry it took ages to upload, but I'm not risking uploading my stories through the University's internet connection. It's 4,694 words long, so hopefully that makes up for it. Hope you enjoy. **

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Yoh slipped out from beneath the bed sheets, and glanced momentarily at the window, before heading towards the door: he wasn't here to simply escape again, though the constant bipolar personality disorder that Hao was exhibiting was confusing him to no end. He paused at the wardrobe to extract a shirt or robe to cover himself with: finding a plain dark blue one, he padded out the unlocked door in his bare feet and looked either way down the near identical hallway whichever way he looked. Deciding it would be easier to stay on this floor since Hao's bedroom was here, he turned left and walked silently down the softly lit corridor.

As he passed by, he stopped in front of each of the doors lining either wall, testing them all to see if they opened. Some didn't, while others simply showed extra bedrooms or storage rooms: large, dusty white sheets hung over a multitude of objects, none of which Yoh wanted to pay much attention to. Coming to the end of the hallway, he spun on his heel and looked at the remaining door: it had the words "Private Study" in faded gothic calligraphy. It was unlocked.

Yoh bit his lip, his eyelashes fluttering over his hazy, half closed eyes as he thought about how easy it all was – it was as if he was playing Hao's game exactly the way the Demon wanted. He couldn't understand why Hao was doing any of this, despite the fact that being deceptive was part of being Demon. However, unable to find any concrete answer, he pushed the handle down and walked in, shutting firmly behind him as he looked around in order to figure out where he should start looking first: the bureau looked like the best place to start.

'You're going to get yourselves killed,' Nichrome mused from his precarious perch on the edge of the banister, his legs dangling more than twenty feet in mid air as Kana and her girls made their way up the stairs. The brunette smirked as he watched their determined features morph into similar looks of distaste thrown in his direction.

'We're not going to do anything to him, just scare him a bit,' Macchi argued, sticking her tongue out at the Scorpion Demon.

'Why, exactly? He doesn't want Hao, he's terrified of him – he's not exactly thrilled that he's Hao's pet,' Nichrome listed, swinging his legs back over the ledge and standing up on solid ground. 'It's not his fault Hao likes him more than he likes you.'

'That's not it!' Macchi snapped, pouting as Kana shook her head, rolling her eyes as she lit up a cigarette. The most the elder Succubae wanted to do was slap him round the head for trying to mess up their plans. They had been waiting centuries for this to come to fruition, and one, whiny little angel who couldn't handle what Hao gave him wasn't going to screw everything up. Mari and Macchi were still young, so their urges tended to override what little reasoning Succubae were possessed with: in their mind, it was simple – sex was the answer to everything. Think someone was sexy/hot/gorgeous/whatever word they decided to label said person (regardless of whether it was a Light Being, Dark Being or Human)? Have sex with them. Pissed at someone (regardless of whether it was a Light Being, Dark Being or Human)? Have sex with them. Simple, isn't it? Considering the fact that they drained the life energy of any creature they slept with, the end result was the same so it didn't really matter.

'Then what exactly it is? You want a pet Angel too?' Nichrome taunted.

'You mean how you want that Ren angel as yours?' Mari spoke up suddenly, and Nichrome scowled and was about to say something when they picked up a noise from the end of the hallway. They all turned that way, quizzical looks on their faces that turned to amusement on Nichrome's part, and almost murderous-annoyance on the three Succubae parts, when they saw the opened bedroom door less than ten feet away from them. 'Hao-sama's study?'

'I claim ignorance in all this,' Nichrome stated, moving past the girls and disappearing down the stairs as the three Succubae closed in on the Study.

Yoh rustled through the papers quickly, eyes scanning the printed pages at an inhuman rate while still being able to retain the information. The computer was ignored – clearly Demons needed technology as well – as Yoh was terrible at codes and hacking into systems, that was mostly Horo's line of expertise. However, what he had been able to find pointed towards what they had already expected: the eclipse in a few weeks time, with the Shadow Portal Hao had used to go back and forth between worlds with Yoh as the main site of execution. There were a lot of elements to bring together – a Demon of every element (which was more than what Humans thought – more than the set four of Air, Water, Fire and Earth; more than the set five of Wood, Earth, Metal, Fire and Water) as well as a descendent of at least one of the forty two Fallen (which was supposedly impossible, since they were either a) stuck beyond the Gates _in _Hell, or b) stuck just outside the Gates and unable to venture any further outside the Cities there. He bit his lip, flicking through more documents before tossing them back onto the desk and turning towards the filing cabinet – he was hoping to find personal files on everyone involved in this scheme, so he could get out of here as soon as possible and stop this from happening.

Obviously, the cabinet was locked with no key in sight, and Yoh wasn't the best at picking locks, so he had hit yet another snag in his snooping. However, when he heard the door swinging open, he figured he was about to hit an even bigger one, as he looked hesitantly over to shoulder to meet to the smouldering glare of three angry Succubae. Despite the fact his heart rate picked up three fold, he spun around fully to look at the girls properly: what the hell was with them anyway? It was if they were permanently PMS-ing around Yoh, all because of the fact that he was either a) an Angel or b) Hao's newest interest. He began to wonder if they had acted like this with all his other "pets", or if it really was just him.

'What have I done this time, to annoy you?' he asked quietly, surreptitiously sliding behind the desk for yet another barrier between them other than the air hanging thickly in the room.

'You still being here is one,' Kana snapped. 'Considering you're looking through things you shouldn't be – I'm not interested in you at all, but I'm not going to let a pathetically weak little brat like you ruin what we've been planning since long before you were _born_!'

'Wow, you're ancient then,' he said stupidly without any thought of a woman's reaction, regardless of what she was, to the mentions of her age. Kana's face contorted from anger to extremely pissed off in a less than flattering manner as her full Succubae nature appeared; Yoh glanced at the other two and realised they transformed as well and lunged as a pack towards him. Pressing his foot against the edge of the desk, he pushed it with all his strength towards the girls: the heavy wood scratched deafeningly like nails down a chalkboard as he suffused his strength with his element, causing the desk move more easily towards its target.

They screeched in anger as it collided with all three of them like a strike at a bowling alley; Yoh wasted no time in spinning on his heel and bolting towards the windows, pulling on the simple latch mechanism and throwing the framed glass open, leaping out into mid air as his wings unfurled from the tattoo. Claws scratched at his ankle as he ascended, banking right and up to loop over the roof of the mansion towards the balcony that marked the room as Hao's. He was already running before his feet touched the marble: the window flying open with the help of a gust of air, he was through the room and out the door as he listened to the screeching down the hallway. They had followed him out the window, and he wasted no time getting as far away from Hao's room as possible. Taking the stairs two or three at a time, he folded his wings back into his body to stop the drag and barrelled left into the next hallway.

Kana, Mari and Macchi crashed into Hao's room like a force to be reckoned with, leaping to the door and scrambling back out onto the carpeted hall floor: Macchi crawled up the wall and onto the ceiling like a pale, ginger spider, skittering across the smooth stone as Mari hovered beside her. Kana hissed, baring her double set of fangs menacingly as she ordered: 'Split up. Find him but for fuck-sake Macchi keep your hands to yourself.'

Mari flew down the corridor and down the second set of stairs further to the right that led towards the North Wing of the mansion; Kana and Macchi travelled down the stairs Yoh had taken, separating to follow the winding corridors to the left and the right that would take them to the East and West wings respectively.

Yoh didn't even know where he was going, or where he was in this stupid place: the corridors and hallways twisted and turned and double backed on each other that he no longer had any sense of direction. He had taken another flight of stairs down, before ending up having to dash up another set when he came to a dead end. Did the mansion change? Did it shift and shuffle its rooms around, like it couldn't make up its mind what looked best where? As he ran down yet another flight of stairs, he saw a door sitting slightly ajar and he ran into the room as fast as he could, panting heavily as the medicine Faust had given him began to wear off. His legs trembled under the exertion they were being put under, his chest heaving as he fought to stay standing: a dull throbbing began to drum away inside his skull, spreading a steady stream of pain throughout his body with every resounding _thump-thump-thump_.

Inhaling deeply as he tried to calm his breathing and ignore the pain, he looked up and around the room, discovering it to be a dining room: a ridiculously long mahogany table shined under the lighting cast by the crystal chandelier hanging far above his head in the slightly domed ceiling. The plush, dark carpet silenced his footsteps and was comfortable under his bare feet: an unlit fire was stocked with fresh wood inside the ornate hearth. The walls were simple, matte-painted with curling filigree along the edges. Nothing was mounted on the walls – no paintings or photographs: there weren't even any windows to filter in natural light. There were only two doors: the one he had just walked in and the other one was on the opposite side of the long room. Making his way towards it, he kept as quiet as possible: the carpet doing the job for him in regards to sneaking, but his uneven breathing was seemingly loud in the hush of the room. Not so much though, that he heard the steady footfalls of someone coming down the stairs he had just travelled down moments ago. With a gasp of panic, he dove to the table, shifting two chairs out of the way and crawling into the shadows under the heavy slab of wood. With only a second between the two, Yoh pulled both chairs into their rightful positions and the Succubus threw the door open and strode into the room.

Macchi slowly made her way into the room, looking around critically with a menacing glare. Yoh drew his knees up close to his chest, wrapping his arms around them tightly so only his big, doe eyes peeked up over the sharp arch of the joints. It was only then he remained stock still, barely blinking as he concentrated hard on avoiding detection, counting in his head.

'Where are you?' Macchi growled, probably to herself as she continued to stalk slowly through the room like a starving predator, her heavy boots beating the carpet slowly as she continued her journey. She was barely ten feet away from Yoh's hiding place when the doors he was planning on leaving through swung open and Kana walked into the room, scowling at Macchi.

'Have you found him yet?' she growled. Macchi scoffed in reply.

'If I had found him, we'd _both _be screaming right now,' she smirked, licking her lips. Kana's frown deepened.

'I told you not to go against Hao-sama's orders. Do you want to die?' she demanded.

'Oh, come on Kana,' Macchi whined. 'It's only a little fun, and anyway, it's not like he'd go running to Hao for protection.'

Yoh noted mentally the lack of honorific in her sentence – Macchi clearly wasn't as dedicated to Hao as she let on. He could see both sets of shoes dangerously close to where he was hiding: they could find him at any minute if he were to make a single mistake.

'Anyway, I haven't found him yet so what's the problem?' Macchi added, shrugging nonchalantly as she looked around the room, her eyes wandering up to the high ceiling. 'I take it you haven't found him yet, either?'

'No, and I haven't seen Mari since we started the chase so I don't know if she's found him either.'

'I want to be the one to find him,' Macchi hissed predatorily, her gaze returning to level with Kana's, then continued down to the floor and across to the table. Her eyes remained focused on the table as a smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. Kana followed her gaze and raised a questioning eyebrow, their stares shifting momentarily to each others. It couldn't be that easy?

Yoh's pulse roared like a threatened animal in his ears, his knees assaulted by the uneven breaths escaping through his nose as he resisted the urge to move as Kana's and Macchi moved towards the table. They didn't say another word to each other as they approached, their slim, powerful legs unwavering compared to Yoh's, who could practically hear them knocking together as he trembled in fear. One of them moved the two chairs that were directly in front of him out and apart, and Macchi sank slowly down to the floor, as if she knew he was there. As if she fed upon his fearful anticipation like an alcoholic does booze. He did not blink as she knelt down fully, her demonic eyes boring straight into his angelic ones.

* * *

Hao stifled a yawn as he rested his chin on one hand, the wooden table grating against his elbow as he half-listened to the ranting and raving of those around him. Faust smirked at his companion's boredom: sometimes Hao thought he only dragged him to these meetings to watch him suffer. The bastard, especially when "demonic democracy" came into play. Which basically meant it was every demon for himself in what was little more than a drunken brawl, except with no alcohol and more dead/burned/half-eaten/bloodied casualties than the typical bar brawl.

Hao sighed, leaning back on his chair and stretching just as one of the Lamiae(1) skidded past his sitting place, the ride made easier by the blood that was slowly coating the table. Faust sipped his wine, currently watching Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos(2) do their thing as the bodies began piling up. The sadistic bitches were the three Fates – Clotho forever spinning the Wheel of Fate she carried around; Lachesis drew the lots on who would die and when and Atropos: the bitch who had the best job. She cut the thread that held their meaningless lives in balance. She'd already gotten through three since the meeting started – make that four.

'Fucks sake,' Hao growled, standing up and drawing on his Fire. He placed his hands upon the table, and the flat slab of wood was blanketed by flames: it did not burn, like a flame that sits upon spilt alcohol, but it got everyone's attention as the heat rose. Those who did not get out of the way fast enough were crisped – Hao had no time for pathetic, weakling fuckers. The forgotten wine glasses shattered in the high temperatures, getting the attention of the last testosterone-fuelled assholes who thought brawn got you what you wanted. Idiots, but at least their attention was now directed at Hao and Faust (who had managed to save his wine from the flames – the alcoholic).

'Does anyone mind telling me what the point of me being here is?' Hao drawled, managing to sound bored, pissed off and threatening in the one tone. Impressive, ne?

'You are practically leading this mission – you hardly communicate with us, our minions are getting ravaged by the Angels and you sit in your mansion with all your data and information and you do nothing to speed up the process,' one of the "Higher" demons – one of the forty two Fallen's descendents – snapped, glaring down at Hao from his place at the head of the table, which, admittedly, wasn't too difficult considering he was nine feet tall with four identical looking bull horns curving around his head. He was one of the few Demons who proved using brawn gets you whatever you want. However, Hao would not be intimidated by him.

'First of all, you asked me to lead the mission oh great one, so I don't have to answer to you about the way I do things cause you can't do a damn thing outside the Gates of this City. You can't even _leave_ this City,' he smirked, reminding everyone that technically, when it comes to power, strength _and_ the ability to go wherever the fuck he pleased, Hao and Faust were the most powerful Demons in the room. 'Second, you don't want to lose minions? Then find stronger ones! Or just don't attract attention from the Angels and make it obvious that we're planning the freaking Eternal Damnation of man. Finally, if you want to tell me a way to move the sun, the moon and the stars in order to "speed up the process", let's hear it, cause I would love nothing more to get this over with and never have to see any of your ugly mugs again.' (Hao and Faust were probably also the best looking in the room, even compared to some of the female demons.)

'I do things _my_ way, and I don't hear any complaints from behind the door,' Hao added, glancing out the window to see nothing but the shadow of the Gate. There was silence from beyond, though the deadly chilling feeling that the shadow created up the back of your neck was ever present, as if every pair of eyes from beyond that black structure were looking through at you from all nine levels. He returned his gaze to everyone in front of him. 'It'll happen when it's supposed to. All you have to do, is make sure nothing gets in our way. I'm sure even you can handle that from here? Sending out your minions or whatever?' he asked sarcastically, receiving a growl in response. He snorted, shaking his head. 'Fine, now that that is settled, I'll take my leave.'

He turned, grabbing his coat from the back of the chair and heading towards the door: he didn't need to look back to know Faust was following him out.

It was only when they were out in the open air that Hao breathed deeply, relaxing. Faust came up beside him as they began to walk towards the exit of the city: Hao rubbing his head tiredly as it pounded painfully. He'd never had this bad a headache before at these annoying meetings: a constant niggling at the back of his mind that demanded his attention, making him feel uncomfortable and distracted throughout the whole meeting.

'Are you alright?' Faust asked, glancing at him with slight worried interest.

'Hmm, yeah, just...' Hao trailed off, using both hands to massage his forehead. 'Something's... wrong... am I going through withdrawal from...?'

Faust frowned, calculating the time scale between the last time Hao had seen Yoh, compared to the length of time he had spent with him. 'You shouldn't be,' he reasoned. 'If you've had him for as long as you've said, then you should still be fine. It should be like-'

'Something's wrong,' Hao cut him off, repeating what he had just said as he pressed both heels of his hand to his forehead. Something was amiss, something wasn't right and he couldn't put his finger on it. It couldn't be...? 'I have to return... I have to get back to Yoh... Something... those bitches!' he suddenly snarled, pulling his hands away and glaring at nothing but the air in front of him as his wings unfurled from his back.

'Should I keep my afternoon free for medical visits?' Faust asked, looking at Hao through his bangs with an expression somewhere between bored and annoyed.

'If I have to contact you in the next 24 hours,' Hao warned. 'There'll be Hell to pay.'

* * *

'Jeez, where the Hell is he?' Macchi sneered, looking left and right under the table. Yoh was completely invisible to her, as long as he stayed still. Yet another power of his element: he could manipulate the air surrounding him to move and curve around his body, effectively making him invisible from all eyes. If he broke the loops and rings of air around himself however, the cloaking would disappear, and he'd reappear. He watched as Macchi looked back and forth once more, before retreating back out from underneath the table and shoving the chairs roughly back into place, blowing up a small cloud of dust around Yoh that tickled his nose and made his eyes itch.

'Perhaps Mari has had better luck,' Kana offered, turning and walking back the way she had came, Macchi following her dejectedly.

'As long as she's not hogging all the fun for hersel-' Macchi stopped and spun back towards the table, Kana mimicking her actions as they unmistakably heard a noise.

Yoh clapped his hand over his nose and mouth, too late to stop the traitorous sneeze that had alerted them to his presence. He heard their footsteps backing up to where he hid, hissing and spitting as they came forward; he was already half-crawling the way he'd originally came into the room and drew upon the air once again, letting it swirl into a growing ball of energy rapidly as they approached with equal intensity. Two resounding thumps behind him alerted to him that they had jumped up onto the table, stalking after him: one was walking away from him, the other was following him.

He continued awkwardly using his feet to propel him forward, his free arm steadying him until he reached the end of the table. Turning so he lay on his back, he drew the arm that held the air-ball back and held it there for a moment, poised and ready as the footsteps stopped right above his head. For that moment, time stilled, and only for that moment when Kana suddenly shrieked at her younger companion.

'Macchi!' she snarled, and Yoh threw the air at the underside of the table with everything he had: there was an unsettling creaking sound as the heavy piece of furniture was lifted clear off the floor, turning over in midair as it pushed Macchi and Kana away from him as he scrambled to his feet and bolted to the door even as it collided with the wall with a clap of thunder, striking Macchi as she clambered to get over it, screeching like a banshee as the after draft tossed her across the room into Kana, crumpling to the floor in a mass of limbs and wings and clothes. Yoh was back out the door he'd came through without a look back, though he doubted it would have had any benefits since his vision was starting to swim and phase into black at the edges. He was getting weaker as he turned the corner, the feeling of nausea returning: he needed more air.

Gasping, panting, he ran along the more familiar looking corridor: he was roughly at the front of the house, and a set of windows were just in front of him! He gasped, heading straight for them to get the fresh breath of the wind against his skin: he was so close he was about to reach out to them when he was tackled forcefully from behind, his attacker sprawling out on the floor after him as he hit the deck painfully. Regardless, he twisted and writhed like a snake under the weight: claws grappled to hold onto his wrists as he was pulled onto his back, Macchi straddling his hips provocatively as she half glared – half smirked down at him even as he fought her.

'Let. Go. Of. Me,' he ground out through gritted teeth, trying to lash out with his restrained wrists, kicking his legs futilely as her iron grip tightened. For such a small girl she had some strength: he flinched as she slammed his wrists onto the ground on either side of his head, grinding her hips harshly into his, igniting the still raw pain that he had from the previous night. He groaned in protest, his fighting spirit slowly dwindling with his strength as she squealed with sadistic laughter.

'Please,' Yoh begged, still trying to throw her off, only resulting in moving their hips together as she bit through the material of his pyjama top, effectively ripping it open and staring at his bared chest with mirth. 'Please let me go...'

She cackled, leaning down so her face was only a few centimetres away from Yoh's, enjoying the sight of his unshed tears. 'Didn't I say we'd both be screaming?'

'Damn. Straight. You'll be _screaming_!'

'Macchi!' Kana gasped panicked, at the exact same time Macchi heard the fourth voice of pure rage and terror. She paled visibly and both Yoh and her looked up towards the door with fear written across both their faces: they were staring at Wrath incarnate as he glared down at them with nothing but malice in those dangerous black eyes of his. His large black and red wings stretched full out and the horns on his head were extended in all their terrifying beauty. Yoh's breath caught in his throat as he saw his tormentor and rescuer standing there, looking like he wanted to kill someone.

'H-Hao...'

* * *

**Cliiiiifffffiiiiiieeee! Agh! *dodges strem of objectes being thrown her way***

**(1) Lamiae - Child eating demon. Can't remember it's origin.**

**(2) Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos - basically the three fates, like in Hercules except they have different names depending on which myth you consult (greek vs roman, etc) and they can look like anything from ugly old hags to beautiful young maidens.**

**R&R? :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**OMG - Univerity has been a bitch; writers block has been a bitch - I could literally not update any sooner my freaky darlings. **

**I'm sorry but that's the way it has to be for now. I'm not supergirl and my prioroity will always be University course work.**

**I don't know when the next update will be so please don't ask. I'm still trying, I'm still writing, but it is so intense - it's a constant whirlwind chucking stuff at me from all angles...**

**Anyway, in this chapter you'll find out what happens from last time, and there's an epic plot twist.**

**Enjoy. XxXxX **

* * *

'H-Hao...'

'_Someone_ had better have a damn good explanation for what I'm seeing,' Hao snarled through gritted teeth. He glared at the scene with unadulterated avarice, his gaze moving from Kana to Macchi to Yoh lying helplessly on the floor staring up at him pleadingly. He was beyond pissed off and it showed: Macchi quickly pulled herself off of Yoh and the Angel took the opportunity to scramble backwards towards Hao, stumbling to his feet as he tried to duck behind his wings. Hao had other ideas, grabbing his arm just below the elbow in a painful iron vice, his short fingernails digging into his soft skin.

'H- Hao,' Yoh whimpered, flinching away from him as best as he could as an ebony glare was sent his way. He could feel more than see the dark eyes stray down, across his bare chest and narrowed in on his bruised wrists. 'Please...'

'You going to tell me what happened?' he demanded, cutting Yoh off.

'He was snooping around!' Macchi suddenly blurted out, and all eyes turned to her. 'Then he was trying to escape...'

'Then why is he still in the house?' Hao asked, his anger now tinged with scorn. 'Unless he's more idiotic than I thought – there are plenty of windows an _Angel_ could easily escape through.'

'He... He did leave through a window,' Macchi hesitated, faltering there as Mari came round the corner.

'Did you find... oh,' she trailed off, noticing Hao instantly before her gaze went to Kana and Macchi.

'And where have you been, Mari?' Hao asked almost sweetly, which made her stomach drop faster than any level of anger could.

'L-Looking for him, Hao-sama,' she replied as steadily as possible, nodding towards Yoh, who wasn't really doing much – probably shock or something.

'Then why, I'll ask again, is everyone still in the house?' he continued, still in that calm, almost friendly tone, like a father asking his kids what they'd been up to while he was at work.

'He doubled back through the window in your bedroom,' Mari replied. The blonde figured – cause, let's face it, it was all about self-preservation at the moment – since she hadn't been with Kana and Macchi when whatever had happened, happened she had the best chance of getting out of this situation alive. 'Then he ran somewhere through the house... we split up to look for him... I was in the North Wing...'

'You were on the other side of the mansion?' he asked, clarifying.

'Yes,' she answered truthfully, grateful for once that Hao's attention turned away from her to her sisters.

'So, you pursued him even though he went straight back to _my_ room, where I've practically been keeping him _hostage_ for the past few days?' he sneered, making them flinch. 'And that little show I walked in on was, what?'

'I... It was... we figured it was a bluff...' Macchi cut off lamely, before her gaze turned angry and it shot to Yoh, who drew unconsciously closer to Hao. 'He was trying to get information! About the plans! To run back to his little friends and –'

'A bluff?' Hao cut her off, returning to the first part of her argument, quirking an eyebrow. Everyone was on edge, waiting for him to do something: Yoh still trembled beside him, fearing he would turn on him for leaving the room and searching through his belongings. Hao had left the door open – Yoh would bet anything he did it deliberately, and Yoh had fallen for his bait. He squeezed his eyes shut in sheer hopelessness – he had taken a bite out of the apple, and now the Demon was coming to collect. The air around him was so tense, he could barely draw any strength from it: the Succubae said nothing more as they watched Hao cautiously as he sighed, closing his eyes before opening them into narrow slits, cocking his head to one side to look at them. 'A bluff...'

Macchi hesitantly nodded, noticing the change in his expression.

'Like this?' he asked, and massive red and orange plumes of fire engulfed all three Succubae as they screamed in panic as the flames spiralled around them. Yoh cowered away from the heat, unconsciously drawing towards the Demon who watched and listened to it all with a wide smirk on his face. The screams didn't die away as the shadows in the centre of the billowing heat writhed in agonising pain, until Hao simply flicked his wrist and it all disappeared.

The three female demons stood unharmed from the powerful flames that should have incinerated them – instead, the worst they looked was simply confused, and still slightly terrified at what had just occurred.

'What...?' Kana gasped, her legs shaking with sheer panic.

'You might want to think twice about touching my property next time it goes for a walk around the mansion – I won't be so lenient next time. Now get out of my face,' Hao snapped, yanking the shocked Angel after him as he began to ascend the stairs. Yoh hung his head in defeat as his three attackers breathed sighs of relief, grinning at each other – he had been chased, attacked and almost raped, and he was the one that was going to get punished. His eyes began to sting sharply, his vision blurring so he almost bumped into Hao as he paused on the third step, turning back to look at the Succubae. 'Oh, and Macchi?'

'Yes, Hao-sama?'

'There's a distinct difference between a bluff and the real thing,' he explained calmly, his gaze lazily sweeping around the hall before half turning back. 'That was a bluff.'

'Yes, Hao-sama,' she repeated, figuring the less said, the better. She moved back a few steps to catch up with her sisters, before shuddering to a halt, tensing up till she could be mistaken for a marble statue. It was as though something had snapped in the atmosphere. Hao never looked back.

'This isn't.'

'_Macchi!'_

The two Succubae barely screamed their sister's name as she was consumed with an angry cyclone of crimson fire, her scream drowning out everything else and didn't seem to stop even as the putrid smell of flesh being burnt alive filled the whole floor. Yoh gagged, covering his lower face with one hand as the heat itself pulled the tears from his watering eyes. He could barely make out the distraught Succubae through the smoke, the blonde Mari falling to her knees as she stared at the flames, now silent from the eye of the storm. He quailed in terror and nausea as the fire evaporated from the now blackened charcoal figure that crumpled to the floor in a sickening, squelching heap that oozed... he didn't know what, all he knew was that it was similar to what had happened to the Thorn Demons that had attacked him.

He barely registered the distraught Succubae as he was harshly dragged up the stairs, back to Hao's room with no consideration, though he would be grateful for being pulled away from the hideous scene that would probably haunt him among others. He just wasn't sure if he was being taken away from one terrible situation, only to be put into a much, much worse one. It was only when he felt the deep pile carpet beneath his feet and was roughly pushed into the comforter of the bed did he realise he had been returned to Hao's room. The clicking of the lock was like the heavy stamping of a death warrant.

Standing, he looked over to see the angry fire Demon shutting the balcony windows tightly, drawing the light curtains across the glass before turning on Yoh.

'Hao,' he whispered, terrified as he stood in front of Hell's fury, gripping his shredded shirt closed with one fist.

'_Don't_ speak,' he snarled, advancing on him like a lion closing in on a deeply wounded gazelle, an easy target. 'Just get on the bed since you're so eager to please.'

Yoh's blood ran cold: taking a step back, Hao followed him. 'W-what?'

'You heard me,' he snapped, pulling his own shirt off as he closed in on his prey. 'You made _such_ a fucking fuss when I had you, but you barely fight against a female? Hardly an Angel – more of a whore.'

'I-I was injured... I couldn't...' he attempted, shaking his head in denial.

'Shut up!' Hao snarled, closing the gap between them and gripping Yoh's upper arms, throwing him against the bed. 'Shut up and just spread your legs for all to share – that's all you're good for and you're so eager to please!'

'No!' Yoh shouted tearfully, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he trembled, falling to his knees on the floor as he leaned against the bedposts for support. 'No! I couldn't fight them – I wasn't fully healed! I couldn't even strike a female, it goes against... against everything I stand for! I'm _not_ a whore, though – do you think I would want anything like that after – after you... you...'

Hao glared at the Angel as the latter broke down, sobbing hysterically. Breathing heavily through his nose, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply: Faust always used to give him tips when he went through a rough patch regarding his anger to stop him from doing anything _too_ rash. Who was he really angry at and who was he taking his anger out on? Answer those two questions and then react.

He growled, glaring at Yoh again – he was angry at the stupid Angel for getting himself into that crap. Okay, it wasn't really his fault, but for fuck's sake, could he be any more pathetic, crying like that? He was angry at the Succubae for touching what wasn't theirs, he was angry at Nichrome for not stopping them when he had the chance, he was angry at the Demons that had called him away and he was pissed off at himself for forgetting to lock Yoh in...

He sighed, cursing under his breath as he moved towards the Angel, whose hysteria rose with every step until he was hyperventilating in Hao's shadow. Hao sighed again, reaching down and picking him back up, ignoring his cries and pleas for mercy as he was led to the top of the bed.

'Hao... Hao, please! Please don't – please! Please, Hao, I-I-I can't, I don't... please,' Yoh keened, his voice rising as his words rolled together: Hao pulled back the covers and gently laid Yoh under them, pulling them back over his trembling form and kneeling down beside the bed so they were face to face. It was clear Yoh wasn't really focusing on him, so wrapped up in his panic.

'Yoh... Yoh, focus on me. _Now_!' he said firmly, getting a response as Yoh's watery eyes flitted to his own. 'Calm down, Yoh and breathe. Breathe... good Yoh.'

Hao watched Yoh as he drew shaky breaths, hiccoughing and choking on his tears. 'I'm not going to hurt you, Yoh. I want you to calm down otherwise you'll be sick.'

'Please, don't –'

'I'm not. Whatever you think I'm going to do, I'm not,' Hao interrupted, reaching over and brushing a few stray bangs away from Yoh's face. When Yoh flinched, he sighed, retracting his hand. 'You're not a whore... but them being female should not deter self defence.'

'I can't...'

'Shhh,' Hao muttered, shaking his head as he stood up. 'I'm going to phone Faust and get you checked up on, in case they did anything-'

'Don't!' Yoh gasped, reaching out and gripping Hao's wrist. 'Don't leave me alone with them.'

Hao stared at the hand around his wrist, then back at the large eyes staring up at him. 'I won't leave you alone with them again. I swear.'

There was a moment of stillness between them, before Yoh released Hao's hand and curled up further under the covers, as if he was trying to make himself smaller. Hao paused, thinking, before he climbed onto the bed and crawled around behind Yoh. Panic spiked again.

'No! H-Hao!' Yoh cried, moving his body away from the larger one until he was right at the edge of the bed before he was pulled back against Hao. Wrapping his arms around Yoh's shoulders and pushing his body against Yoh's until they were spooning comfortably, he lay on top of the duvet while Yoh was snuggled underneath, the thick material separating them solidly.

'I'm not going to hurt you Yoh,' Hao muttered. 'I just... want to lie next to you. It's just comfort – don't Angel's comfort each other like this?'

'Hmm...' Yoh sniffled, still shaking slightly.

'Well, then,' he concluded, shifting slightly to dig around in his pockets with one hand to find his phone. Yoh remained still except for the dwindling trembles across his form, sniffling a little as he felt Hao move around: his eyes darted to the side, trying to see what Hao's expression was like over his shoulder.

'Faust,' he snapped, making Yoh jump at his abrupt tone. His phone was pressed to his ear, a frown on his brow. 'Yes, I'm just fine... no, he's not _dead_... of course I didn't... the house is in one piece... so is everyone else – well, everyone who's still alive is in one piece... no,' he sighed heavily, 'I did not kill everyone... there's a mess in the front lobby, be careful of that when you come in.'

He flipped his phone closed without another word to Faust – at most he'd be at the mansion in less than half an hour – and he snuggled closer to Yoh, though it hardly made the Angel ease up. Hao sighed, flicking Yoh's ear, irritated.

'Would you relax? I'm not even under the covers, for fuck's sake,' he snapped, making Yoh flinch and curl up even more, rubbing his ear gently. Hao rolled his eyes, quickly kissing the shell of the abused ear and burying his face in the soft brown hair in front of him. Yoh was so comfortable to hug – not that Hao was much of a hugger of course.

They lay in silence for a few moments, listening to each other's breathing: Hao's was slow and relaxed; Yoh's was still slightly erratic and shallow, despite having very little incentive to do so. Hao wasn't even touching him and the shock of Macchi's attack should have eased off by now. That was when Hao suddenly had a brainwave – Macchi's attack.

'Yoh?' he questioned.

'Mm...' came the mumbled, obviously breathless reply. Hao sat up slightly, looking at Yoh as best as he could when the Angel was curled up in the smallest, tightest foetal position Hao had ever seen someone his size curl up into. His shoulders quaked slightly in rhythm with his breathing: reaching out one hand, Hao placed his palm across Yoh's forehead – it was damp with sweat.

'Yoh,' Hao repeated. 'Did Macchi bite or scratch you?'

Yoh stiffened, remembering the Succubus tearing his shirt off with her teeth, catching the skin on his chest as she did so. He nodded in response to Hao's question.

'Did she break the skin?'

Yoh nodded, aware that Hao now knew exactly what was wrong with him. The Demon sighed, his head falling back onto the pillow as he considered this information. Succubae and Incubi had venom ducts under the skin of their hands and in their mouths, connected to their teeth and talons: that venom wasn't poisonous, but an aphrodisiac – a powerful one. A proper bite or cut would have the victim at the mercy of their own bodies for anytime between 3-5 full days, at the end of which they would die from exhaustion if they were in the hands of the Succubus or Incubus that had infected them and end up as one final meal like the one Hao had seen in Kana's room. You could literally die from sex.

'Do you want help with it?' Hao offered, looking up at the ceiling.

Yoh shook his head.

'Are you going to deal with it yourself?'

Again the answer was no.

'A small scratch or nip usually only affects you for maybe 6-12 hours,' Hao added. 'If you deal with it at regular intervals then it usually allows you an hour or two of reprieve in between.'

Yoh still said nothing, exhaling heavily and trying to stifle a moan. Hao rolled his eyes, sitting up and leaning over Yoh's form.

'In other words, Faust will be here within the hour and will probably give you a full examination and you're doing nothing to get rid of it – how much humiliation do you actually want today?' he asked. They both fell into silence for a moment, Hao waiting patiently for Yoh's answer one way or the other: he smirked slightly as Yoh slowly uncurled himself from the foetal position and stretched out, still with his back to Hao.

The Demon slid back down the bed, returning to his position at Yoh's back, slowly pushing the covers off of his Angel to reveal his trembling form – the loaned pyjama's were sticking to his skin, revealing the lines and contours of his body while he squirmed and writhed, trying to get comfortable from the evident strain in his trousers. Hao couldn't help but smirk at the sight, pulling at Yoh's arm till he was lying on his back, his chest heaving with every exhausted breath. He clutched at the bed covers, twisting them in his fists tightly as he felt Hao's warm hand slide down his perspiring chest, lightly touching one sensitive nipple on his way down to the hem of the pyjama pants.

'H-Hao...' Yoh breathed.

'Shh,' the Demon shushed him. 'Don't worry, I'll take care of everything.'

With a swift tug, Hao pulled the material to just below his knees, releasing Yoh's straining, leaking erection. The Angel's breath hitched, his eyes squeezing shut as he bit his lip, trying to block out the raging fire that was coursing through his veins. He could feel Hao pulling the pyjama's all the way down his legs, slipping them off and spreading his knees apart: his hands flew to cover his face, horrified that he was allowing Hao to do this, allowing him to settle between his legs and lightly stroke the inside of one thigh. His whole body trembled, more so when Hao touched him so lightly, dragging a single finger up the side of his throbbing manhood and back down again.

Hao heard his Angel whimper at the treatment he was receiving, while Hao simply watched and felt his reactions, like he was an experiment that had just started to show interesting results. He could feel the heat radiating from his skin – he doubted Yoh was even aware of the way he was shifting his thighs, trying to bring them together and half stretching them out when that failed, quivering with adrenaline. All the while his delicious looking cock bobbed with his movements, leaking pre cum and turning a gorgeous shade of red as a release was just slightly out of reach. He leaned forward, his loose hair tickling Yoh's bare skin – he smirked when he heard the small cry from Yoh's lips – and gently kissed the head, his tongue darting out to lick away some of the thick, creamy substance he enjoyed so much. The sound it elicited from Yoh was delightful, and Hao grinned, noting the taste was somehow sweeter than the last time he tasted it, before wrapping his lips around the head and giving an experimental suck.

Yoh cried out, loudly, and Hao almost pulled back at the noise: he hadn't even taken the whole thing and yet the response was so intense. His smile grew wider around the girth, and he slowly lowered his head to engulf more and more of the heated flesh until his lips met the very base of his cock. He listened to the sounds Yoh continued to make – the gentle mewling and whimpering as one hand had somehow managed to find its way to Hao's head, the fingers gripping the hair awkwardly as if he could get some sort of stability from it while Hao deep throated him. He choked on his own breath, feeling Hao's oesophagus constrict around the tip, sending sparks flying up through his body.

'Oh, God Hao...' he sobbed dryly when the Demon hummed deep at the back of his throat, bobbing his head lightly so only an inch of Yoh's penis passed his lips as he moved. The pressure building in Yoh was too great, it was like his muscles were expanding in his skin and his blood was boiling hot: and Hao's tongue moved against his flesh while he sucked, pulling Yoh into him as he reached up one hand and lightly tickled the skin on the sacs that hung behind it.

That ended it for Yoh, a series of bright flashing white lights exploding in his vision before fading to black as he came, screaming wordlessly with such volume he hurt his throat. Hao lapped up every morsel he was given, milking Yoh for everything afterwards, until he started to soften in his mouth. The Demon pulled away, a small popping sound as the flesh slipped from his swollen red lips, a trail of saliva momentarily retaining contact before that too broke.

Both were silent, breathing heavily after what had occurred. Yoh's fingers were still caught in Hao's hair, pinning him where he was – actually, Hao could easily pull away from the Angel's weaker grip, he just chose to stay where he was, pressing his forehead against the inside of Yoh's thigh, his breath ghosting across the burning skin. Yoh had his other arm draped across his face, hiding his eyes: his skin was overly sensitised, feeling everything round him – the sheets under his back, the silken locks around his fingers. Hao's breath on his skin was making him tremble still, and it was discomforting to know it was not in a bad way.

'Hao,' he managed to breathe out, releasing the others hair. 'Please... can you move...?'

'Considering I'm supposed to be examining him,' Faust's voice suddenly sounded from the door, 'that might be a good idea.'

Two pairs of brown eyes snapped around, seeing the pale skinned doctor leaning casually against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest. His bag rested at his feet, and his facial features were schooled into a look that just screamed "I am not amused". Yoh gasped, his face burning with embarrassment as he looked wildly around for something to cover himself with. Hao returned Faust's frown over his shoulder.

'Voyeuristic pervert,' he muttered.

* * *

'Well, everything seems fine – you'll be feeling the effects for another couple of hours, but hopefully the cream I applied will dull its potency so you shouldn't get such an intense reaction,' Faust smiled, pulling off his gloves and tossing them into the bag. Hao did not look happy at the idea, leaning against the doorframe as the doctor had done when he had arrived in the room. He would have preferred the diagnosis to be in his favour – i.e. he would have to help Yoh's problem on the hour, every hour.

Yoh was more happy with the examination results – he had exhausted himself with all the running around the house, and obviously Macchi's scratch had caused him extra problems but other than that, the Air he had absorbed that morning that healed a majority of his previous injuries. All Faust had to do was apply the cream and do a quick overview. Standing up, Faust stretched his legs and arms before bending down and picking up his bag.

'Some sleep should do him good, and no strenuous exercise,' he advised, looking pointedly at Hao. Pushing his coat out of the way slightly, he rubbed the small of his back with a grimace. 'Now, if you don't mind, I need some R&R my- HEY!'

Faust whipped round, slapping Yoh's hand away that had gripped his coat and pushed it around his body to reveal a decent portion of his back. The blonde glared furiously at the shocked boy on the bed as the material slipped back into position, unable to hide what had already been seen as the boy's hand still hovered in the air where Faust's had pushed it. Hao looked on with disinterest as brown eyes met indigo, and Yoh leaned forward, his voice a hoarse whisper from pure disbelief.

'Faust... You're an _Angel?_'

* * *

Dun dun duuuuuuunnnn.

Plot Twist and Cliffhanger - how epic am I? *ducks random objects being thrown at me* Ah, okay, okay...

R&R anyway?


	11. Chapter 11

**Still Alive... still updating... barely OTL**

**Yeah, tis me, with an update *hears the heavenly choirs chant hallelujah* Yeah yeah... okay, peepz - Faust will tell his story now, and there's gonna be more little riddles for you to ponder over before my next update.**

**Don't kill me for it... **

_

* * *

Once upon a time, there was an Angel – he was beautiful: mortal portrayals of the Heavenly beings could surely be modelled solely upon his grace and magnificence. His soft golden hair was so fine and bright; it was like a second halo around his porcelain face. Forget-me-not eyes enchanted all who looked into them, seeing the loveliness of the world around him with a cool demeanour, never truly showing what he was thinking under a simple, calm expression. _

_He was one of a very unique clan of Angel – a Guardian-Healer. He watched over the ailing, the weak: he gave them strength to live through the temporary pain and continue their lives but he also watched over those who would not make it, soothing their pain towards the end before the Angel of Death came and lead them onwards. He did this for centuries, never once seeking out glory or credit for his nature, even when humans whispered about his presence in their dreams, or claimed his being there saved their lives. No, they saved themselves – he just helped them along a little. Never once in all his life did he ever fault, or stray from what he was meant for._

_Until one day, he made a terrible mistake – he fell in love. He fell in love with a human._

_She was beautiful – he could easily have mistaken her for an Angel, with long silken curls of spun gold and eyes as deep and wide as the ocean set in a heart shaped face with skin as smooth and as flawless as alabaster. He paused every once in a while, when he had no one to guard over, to look upon her as she went through her days with grace and elegance, oblivious to his attentive gaze. She was always surrounded by people – a family who doted on her, young women like herself, full of life and cheer; young suitors who showered her with flowers and compliments. To the latter she would smile, and accept their gifts with thanks but she would never, as far as the Angel could see, court them, or give them any inclination of romantic interest towards them. The Angel, despite scolding himself later on, was secretly glad she refused the men who looked upon her so fondly._

_For years this continued, his heart aching for her as he continued faithfully his tasks, dreaming of the impossibility that she would see him one day and know he was her love, and he would hold her in his arms for eternity. However, he would always wake up from the dream, and secretly watch her through her days, all the while lending his strength to those who needed it, healing, soothing and watching over other humans who required him to be there. How torn he was: berating himself for acting so selfishly when so many others called out for the reprieve he could give them, yet there were times he felt like screaming at the unfairness of it all – he had never felt anything like he did now, but it was only a dream he constantly had to wake up from. Unfortunately, this time he awakened to a nightmare._

_She called upon him – not out of love, as if she had known of him all those years, but out of distress and pain. A disease was eating at her flesh from the inside – no human medicine could save her, there was no relief from her pain. She was slowly dying._

_Heartbroken, he gave her all the strength he could: even that was not enough to give her even an hour of peace as she continued to weaken. Her once beautiful curls became limp and straggled, her pale complexion now looked unhealthy: the light was gone from her eyes._

_Enraged at his own helplessness, he searched high and low for a way to save her from her early demise. Death could return for her when she had had everything life had to offer her, but he refused to let him take her now. Eventually, he came across a forbidden text, a text he knew could save her but at a price – his very existence._

_Regardless, he was not swayed, and upon her deathbed he came before her: a vision of ethereal beauty in her last moments, and placed her hands upon his chest. The ritual was simple – he would give her his soul. An immortal, angelic soul that allowed him an eternity of youth, beauty and health in Etherea. He was some way through the transfer, his body slowly destroying itself with its loss, when he as stopped, pulled away by a fellow Angel who had not been blind to what had been going on through all this time. He tried to return to her side and finish what he started but it was too late, for he was taken back to where he belonged and she disappeared from his sight._

_Taken before the Council of the Three Spheres, he was reprimanded for his crimes of using the forbidden arts and told they were for nought, for with only a small part of an Angel's soul, the woman was still a human – but an unnatural hybrid. To his horror, he was told she was now trapped in limbo – the first level of Hell – and he would be bound to Etherea, never to venture to Earth again and stripped of his titles. It was too much to bear, and he fell to his knees begging for mercy on her part:_

'_Please, do not leave her there! Cast me from your graces, tear my wings from my back and let me fall – I shall trade her my entire soul and be gone from existence, if only you allow her my place here!'_

_The Council refused, for they could not willingly allow an Angel to forfeit his very existence to nothingness, and one spoke:_

'_She would have been welcomed into Heaven with open arms, if only you had not meddled in things you do not understand. You would not be standing before us, but instead continue your life. Your motives were purely selfish – you cannot hide that fact, for you knew if she were in Heaven and you in Etherea, the Kingdom of the First Sphere, you would never gaze upon her again: but she would have been happy. Now, you never will see her, and you both shall suffer every day of your lives.'_

_Refusing to give up hope, he beseeched them one more time:_

'_Then trade my place for hers, instead of my life! I would walk through Hell for eternity if only she may walk through this Kingdom. Cast my to damnation for my sins, but raise her for the virtues that she had in life, that I saw.'_

_That was when a second Council member spoke up: he was young, only recently initiated into his position, but he could see the Angel was sincere in his cries. Convincing the others, they decided upon a new punishment – both he and the woman would walk not in Hell, but the Shadowlands for a millennia, for if he truly loved her he would not sway in his resolve and if she were truly an Angel born in mortal flesh, she would not be tempted by the Shadowlands easy pleasures._

_So they walk for millennia in the Shadowlands, steadfast in their resolve that they shall be together forever and in the warm embrace of Heaven soon.

* * *

_

'That's why my skin is a strange colour, and stitched up,' Faust sighed, resting his elbows on his bent knees. He had taken a seat on Hao's bed next to Yoh as he told the story, leaning forward as he recalled his past: the Angel had listened intently, watching Faust throughout the tale. Hao had disappeared, already knowing the story and disliked being reminded of it. 'The Council showed us some form of compassion – giving us disguises of skeleton demons, so we would not perish – at least not immediately – during our time here.'

'How...' Yoh began, unsure of how to ask the question. Faust smiled ruefully.

'How long has it been?' he completed for him, smiling wryly. 'We only have about three hundred years to go...'

He sighed, turning to face Yoh. 'I know why you're here, Yoh, but I suggest you give up what you're planning soon. Hao will never allow you to plot against him, regardless of what he thinks of you – you're a fish in a barrel here, and I can't in good conscience allow a fellow Angel to be harmed.'

'If you don't want me to get hurt... help me,' Yoh said after consideration.

'What?'

'Help me – help us,' he pleaded, gripping his sleeve. 'You know what they are planning, you know what's going on – you can help us: put a stop to their plans, keep them here without it tumbling into Earth. There needn't be any bloodshed, cause that'll happen if they continue. You can't let the whole world be damned...'

'Yoh,' Faust sighed, shaking his head as he removed Yoh's hands from his coat. 'It's not that simple – it never is, not when you try to meddle in something that is not yours to meddle in. I learnt that the hard way, and if you're not careful you'll learn it the same way I did - I'm guessing you're not even here on a legitimate mission, are you? The Council would never approve of sending an Angel into the Shadowlands for anything other than punishment.'

'It doesn't matter, Faust – I'm here, and I need to finish what I started,' he said determinedly. 'I'll be alright.'

'No you won't,' he contradicted calmly. 'What happens if Hao gets a visit from a Demon much bigger, and much more dangerous than Macchi and her sisters? You think Hao will risk his life to save yours? I wouldn't be of any aid against anything stronger than Vampire Demon in this form, I can't access any abilities I had as an Angel except my talent for medicinal application and Eliza has no powers to speak of.'

'I'll run then, or fight, or call for backup,' Yoh suggested, trying to sound calmer than he felt.

'Run _now,_' Faust pleaded. 'You wouldn't stand a chance against half the Demons here, and you can't get through the Shadow Portals unless you have Demonic blood or a Demon has you in his grasp – that's the only way Hao could have brought you here. But you knew that, I suppose? That's why you let him capture you so easily?'

Yoh said nothing, and Faust sighed again, standing up. 'You're friends are of no use to you here: you cannot win this.'

'Why won't you help us? You're an Angel, too,' the brunette whispered. The former Angel looked at him sadly.

'I can't choose, Yoh,' he whispered. 'I can't choose between you and Hao, not when the threads of so many lives are woven together in this place – they're impossible to untangle. I'm sorry, Yoh.'

'But... Faust,' Yoh pleaded again, reaching out beseechingly as Faust stood in one fluid motion and turned away, beginning to pick up his things. 'Don't you want to go home?'

As the fallen Angel straightened, it was with a resigned air – weary and jaded after all that had happened in this one afternoon, perhaps even his life up to this point. He looked over his shoulder with tired indigo eyes – eyes that might have shined once, reflecting the shining light of God – now half dead and dulled. 'More than anything – I want the warmth again, not this heatless pit of darkness. I want Eliza to share that warmth: I want to share it with her for the rest of eternity-'

'Then _why_?' Yoh demanded, getting frustrated and angry.

'"The one who walks between Heaven and Hell,"' Faust quoted calmly, making Yoh furrow his brow in confusion.

'What?'

'I assume that is still known throughout Etherea? It is still a prominent text in the Great Scriptures?' Faust asked. Yoh nodded, and repeated it word for word effortlessly:

'_The one who walks between Heaven and Hell,_

_Divided between both but in neither dwell,_

_Shall rise in the flame of burning light_

_And halt the darkness in the ageless fight._'

Faust smiled. 'And that's why I cannot choose. Think about it.'

With Yoh confused, Faust walked from the room and down to the main foyer, sighing in relief from escaping the intense little Angel. He almost smiled to himself: Yoh reminded him of a friend he once had, many years ago... Touching his mutilated flesh lightly, he shook those thoughts from his head and set off towards the door.

'So you told him the story?' Hao asked from the lounge doorway: Faust couldn't tell if he had heard him coming down the stairs and wanted to see him out or if he had been waiting impatiently for him to appear. Faust had a suspicion it was the latter.

'My story – I told him nothing of yours,' he soothed the young Demon. Hao nodded slightly, clearly thinking on something that he was hesitant to share with Faust. 'What is it, Hao?' he pressed lightly. The Demon shook his head.

'Perhaps we can discuss it another time,' he replied, leading the way to the front door. 'Any other rules you want to set down before you leave?'

'Don't get in too deep,' he said after a pause, making Hao frown.

'Tell Eliza I am asking after her,' he muttered, receiving a nod from Faust and a quick wave. 'Take care, foolish Skeleton.'

That earned a smile before the door was closed and Faust set off down the Path: the solid ebony skull-decorated carriage that had no horses to pull it waited at the gate for him. It would only take him less than hour to get home to Eliza – the only warmth in this Hell – and he certainly needed it.

He hadn't planned to let Yoh he was an Angel – after several hundred years of hiding the wing tattoos, he tended to forget they were even there. He also didn't like the idea of the game Hao and Yoh seemed to be playing with each other: it was true the three Worlds – Heaven, Hell and Earth – were in a precarious balance between them, each of the extremes pulling the third in either direction.

He sighed: he wanted to see Eliza, desperately.

* * *

The feeling of walking through the club's doors was beyond that of relief: it may not have been Heaven, but as soon as he saw Eliza standing behind the bar wiping the counter top down, he always felt like he was home. The Club was a mixture of several things – the ground floor was, obviously, the club. A large space in the centre of the room served as the dance floor, the polished wood shining under the multicoloured lights, and the stage illuminated by the flashing colours. An elevated floor fenced by a simple chrome railing ran right around it, connected to the slightly lowered dance space by a few small stairs. Leather chairs and sofas crowded the numerous tables that were scattered all over the place: the music booth facing the stage on the same level as the bar, on its far side. Everything was bolted to the floor to avoid giving the Demons that visited here anymore ammo that they already had.

The upper floors were lodgings, for anyone who needed a place to sleep – anything else that was done in the rooms was charged extra. Simple one bedroom rooms with a small en suite were always clean and tidy, and always pleased any customer that spent the night there. The very top floor was Faust's and Eliza's modest but comfortable apartment – making a decent living from the club/hotel had helped them plenty, and Faust's medical skills weren't exactly unpopular. Hearing Faust walk in, Eliza turned to look over at him, smiling kindly.

'Welcome back,' she said softly, coming out from behind the bar: they didn't open till late in the evening, so they time to spend together, for which Faust was glad for. 'How is our little Demon?'

'No different from when you last saw him – still foolish, still over confident, and still thinking... I don't know,' he sighed, dropping his bag on the floor gracelessly. 'I don't know what he is thinking...'

Eliza had no reply – after seven hundred odd years: a time that seemed surreal to a human – she still had trouble figuring out the inner workings of Hao and the other Demons, sometimes even Faust. She was still unaware of a ridiculous number of customs and behaviour that Faust just somehow knew. In the first century, he had saved them from a number of near- fatal disasters that Eliza still felt like she had caused. Yet he had never once got angry at her, had not snapped or shouted at her: he was patient, explaining through the transitions of time from her era to that of the present day. One minute she had been in a simple village that hadn't another neighbouring town for miles, and cities were still built within stone walls as a protection from invaders and before she knew it, cities stretched to the horizon and the people wore such a collection of different garments in so many different colours she got a headache. She rarely looked out a Shadow Portal nowadays, feeling a pang in her heart whenever she remembered she would not be able to step through it for another three hundred and something odd years.

The years had passed so quickly – yet she could still remember the first time she had met Faust, properly met him instead of in the feverish half-conscious state she had been in when he had... She shook her head, pushing the thought from her mind: she did not want to remember many things in the past, of what had been said and done.

'Johann,' she said, using his first name – his more angelic name – to catch his attention. He looked up at her in surprise as he had been replacing glasses in the drinks cupboard. 'Dance with me,' she requested simply.

His look of surprise did not lessen, but he had gotten used to Eliza making random requests from him over their time here: generally for the sake of doing something with him, other times it was to soothe any insecurities or worries she had. It was during the latter times when no words were spoken between them, regardless of what had been asked. Moving out from behind the bar as his partner had done, he moved towards her slowly, as if he was approaching a timid animal. The blonde woman smiled at his gentleness as he clasped her hand, sliding his free one around her waist and rested his open palm just below the shoulder blades – he was such a gentleman.

She only reached his chest height, but that didn't matter as they began to move in a simple waltz around the floor to the unheard music that playing somewhere in their imaginations, unaware the precarious stability was soon to unbalance and set in motion the chain of events that would change everyone's lives, whichever way the world toppled.

Outside the Shadow Portal Yoh had been taken through so many days ago – was it only days? – Ren rested diligently on a tree branch hanging just above it, resting his back against the old trunk as his golden eyes scanned the darkened gateway that led to the Shadow Lands.

The Gateway that was inaccessible to Light beings: no Angel could pass through it without possessing Demonblood.

* * *

R&R plz - I know a lot of you will probably have some questions, but bear with me, ok?


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter took a ridiculous length of time to write, for being just under 3000 words, which is something I dislike - I always try to make all my chapters at least 3K. It also took an insane length of time to write considering I'd class this as a "filler" chapter...**

**Tbh, I think I'm losing interest in this fandom - not just Hao/Yoh, but Shaman King in general. I mean, the last time I properly watched the whole series start to finish was well over four years ago, maybe five and although I do love it in a nostalgic sort of way - all my memories of my childhood and teenage years are divided up based on the anime's I watched - it's taking longer and longer to put the ideas to paper. I will try to finish all my stories, come hell or high water... it's just going to take some time. A lot of time.**

* * *

Hao tilted the glass this way and that, gently swirling the dark liquid around as he stared into the fire: he hated stories, particularly ones regarding the past. His little Angel was getting into far too complicated matters, despite his half-hearted attempts to find the exact details of the Demons plans. That very thought struck Hao as odd: usually Angels were single-minded in their tasks, and almost ruthless in completing them. Yoh, however, seemed almost hesitant – he'd only risked searching for information when he thought Hao had left, instead of running away. Had he done so, he would surely have succeeded, using the air on his flight to heal himself. Getting through the Shadow Gate was hardly an issue: Hao discovered long ago that the possession of Demon blood wasn't necessarily restricted to what was running through the body; even a blood-soaked cloth or vial of the stuff could grant passage. Or take a weaker Demon hostage and "piggy-back" with them through the portal.

So why was he doing none of those things?

Yoh lay back against his pillows, deep in thought as he stared up at the high ceiling: Faust was an Angel, a fallen one. When he was younger, there were always stories warning little Angels what would happen if they broke the rules: punishments and lessons that would have to be endured before you could return. The single most extreme punishment had no second chances, no redemption: the loss of your wings, cast down to never rise again. He shuddered, denying that could happen to any of his renegade team. However, there were going to be some serious repercussions if he didn't get his act together and have something to present to justify this improvised mission.

He frowned, wondering why he wasn't doing anything: although he'd only been here for a few days, that was a few days too long considering he was essentially a Demon's hostage, out of his territory and had been raped, sexually assaulted, beaten, threatened, humiliated... He sighed, thinking on what Faust had said. The four short lines had been around for longer than the oldest Angel could remember, from the time of the seven legendary Archangels when the Morning Light fell from the night sky.

_The one who walks between Heaven and Hell,_

_Divided between both but in neither dwell,_

_Shall rise in the flame of burning light_

_And halt the darkness in the ageless fight._

The Powers- the scholars and the keepers of History in the angelic hierarchy – had speculated and theorised about the meaning of the text for years, with no definitive answer found. It seemed to be a prophecy, indicating that evil would inevitably be defeated by someone that wasn't connected to Heaven or Hell directly. That sired the argument that mankind was the subject matter of the verse: for they had the choice between "good" and "evil" as they walked on Earth (between Heaven and Hell) and could defeat evil through those choices. It wasn't the favourite argument, since humans tended to cloud the issue of what was "good" and "evil" with their own ideas.

He sighed, thinking of Faust, and his friends: particularly Ren: the always serious, always irritated Storm Angel that never really paid attention to the verse. It always irked him: _"you are either one or the other, you can't be both"_ he always used to say. That usually ended the argument: Ren could get really angry, really quickly if he didn't like something and no one would comment about the inaccuracy of the statement, considering that, even amongst Angels and Demons, nothing was entirely black and white.

Hao sighed, draining his glass and setting it down on the table near his knee. The house was relatively quiet, slowly settling in for the night as evening grew later: the two remaining Succubae were probably sulking in some dark corner of the large building, and Nichrome generally just scuttled about when he was bored. He was thinking about Opacho when the door slid open and the young girls face appeared in the gap created, a smile brightening her face.

'Speak of the little devil,' Hao smirked, as the little Demon made her way over to her guardian and clambered onto his lap, receiving a hug from him as she snuggled against his chest.

'Did Macchi do something bad, Hao-sama?' she asked. Hao had made sure the remains had been cleared away before she saw them, but there was nothing you could keep secret in this place. Well, almost nothing.

'Yes, Opacho, she did – she tried to hurt Yoh,' he explained, leaning back in the chair to get comfortable, shifting the dark skinned Demon on his lap so she was sitting on one leg, curled up against his abdomen like a cat. 'Faust said he'd be alright though.'

'Faust is special, isn't he?' she asked. Hao smiled, looking at nothing in particular as he rubbed little circles on her back.

'Yes, he is. There are quite a few who are special,' he replied. Opacho looked up at him, her big brown eyes full of curiosity.

'Am I special, Hao-sama?'

Hao's gaze suddenly dropped to hers, as if he was only just realising she was there. He smiled widely, as if he was a parent and she just did something adorable, as he pulled her close into a proper hug. 'Of course you are, Opacho. Of course you are.'

'You should rest,' Lyserg advised, landing on the branch above Ren's head. He was wrapped up in his thick green jacket, his wings tucked in close and framing his body, both a means of protecting himself against the cooling night air. He did not have Horo's nor Ren's resilience to the chill, something that was obvious between them at the moment as Ren was dressed in simple baggy black pants and a sleeveless, high collared black shirt with gold edging and design. The colour matched his eyes perfectly, which had not moved from the near-invisible portal in the darkness. The waning moon would soon disappear completely from the sky in a few nights time, leaving an empty black hole where it once sat before its rotation began to show its illuminating face once more.

'I'll take over this watch,' Lyserg spoke again, sitting down on the bough with his feet dangling only a few inches above Ren's head.

'What is happening back in Etherea?' he finally asked, ignoring Lyserg's previous statements. Lyserg sighed, trying to get comfortable.

'It's pretty quiet, which I find extremely odd, but I'm keeping Silva up to date even though he's still pretty mad at us. He's keeping an eye on the Higher – ups but apparently they're not doing much. They don't even seem to have noticed we're shirking our responsibilities and Yoh's not around: which just seems strange, considering his dad is coming back in a day or two,' Lyserg summarised, scratching the back of his head in thought.

'That is odd,' Ren muttered, frowning.

'Horo is staying around quarters in case anyone wants to question us – he wants to see if they believe our story or suspect us,' Lyserg continued.

'If they suspect us, why would they not go and get Yoh back? Or at least interrogate us?' Ren asked, finally looking up over his shoulder at the crystal Angel. The green haired boy clearly didn't have the answers, frowning in thought. Ren turned his gaze back to the portal & silence descended upon them for several moments.

'Someone should go,' he suddenly said. Lyserg looked down at him in confusion, unable to see his friends face.

'What do you mean?' he asked, though he had a nagging suspicion he already knew Ren's answer.

'Someone should go through the Shadow Portal – look for Yoh and bring him back. I volunteer myself,' he answered, in the typical nonchalant tone he used when he had already decided something and was simply telling the others in the form of a suggestion out of politeness. Or deliberate provocation.

'Ren!' Lyserg hissed, dropping down to crouch beside the cold-eyed angel, who had once again torn his metallic gaze away from the Portal to look at his friend in an almost lazy manner, as if his outburst was nothing important. 'Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be? Alone? There's no way you'd survive!'

'And Yoh has a better chance, does he?' Ren snapped back snidely, straightening up and glaring at Lyserg. 'While we wait here, waiting for one of Hao's Demon's to come through and... What? Interrogate them? Use them as a trade? Hao doesn't give a damn about any of the Demons he lives with – you know the stories of him. Use one of them as a piggy back through the Portal and they'd just drag you into a trap.'

'I don't need them to cross the Gateway – I have my own means, you know this. I can sneak in and find him easily.'

'On your own? Ren, _Nichrome_ is there: he would kill you if he so much as glimpsed you! You'd be a sitting duck in there and what would Horo say if you went in there alone?' he demanded.

'Don't you dare bring Horo into this – his presence doesn't dictate my actions!'

A group of birds burst forth from the undergrowth at the base of the tree, disturbed by the shouting: it had slipped their minds that sometimes animals could hear them and, on rare occasions, see them. Neither Angel spoke for a moment: Lyserg folded his arms tensely as Ren dragged a hand through his hair, sighing.

'You know I'd have a better chance than anyone else. You know I can negotiate the Shadowlands just as well as any Demon can,' Ren argued softly, shaking his head as he looked up at his friend through dark bangs. 'What are you so afraid of?'

'That I'll lose two of my best friends,' Lyserg calmly replied.

'To what – death? Or are you thinking the worst of me, Lyserg?' Ren asked with a cold smile. Lyserg looked at his friend sorrowfully.

'How can you ask me something like that? You are not a Demon Ren – you would never fall,' he replied.

They sank into silence again, not quite meeting each other's eyes: Lyserg with sadness in his emerald orbs, while Ren's were full of guilt having just accused his friend of such cruel thoughts.

'Ren,' Lyserg finally began, composing himself. 'Please, think about this: please don't go rushing into something like this – it's dangerous and reckless. If you got captured who knows what they would do to you.'

'And what about what they are doing to Yoh?' Ren demanded quietly, his voice close to cracking. No one could deny the friendship between Yoh and Ren: looking at the two, it was hard to imagine how close they actually were, due to their opposing personalities and attitudes. However, the closeness between the two Angels was so intense that even Horo, at rare times, needed Ren's quiet assurances that the two were simply friends. During their early childhood, Yoh was the first friend Ren ever had: no one would go anywhere near him because of his cold golden eyes. Yoh seemed to be the only solid connection Ren had to the rest of his Angel brethren, despite the length of time the others had been friends with him, Ren couldn't lose that original lifeline.

'He's alive – Etherea would be in an uproar if he were dead: no one would ignore such devastation,' Lyserg reminded him. 'Take comfort in that fact.'

'We can't leave it any longer, Lyserg,' Ren warned.

'I know,' he agreed. 'If this is the only way, then we'll pass through the gate together, _after_ explaining to Silva – at least then we have some form of back up, and we're stronger together.'

'Sneaking in would be easier if it was only one of us,' Ren argued again, quietly. He didn't want to wait until tomorrow to enter the Shadowlands.

'But more dangerous,' Lyserg stated. 'If you want this plan, then we _all_ follow through with it. All for one...'

'You should stop paying so much attention to humans,' Ren smiled half-heartedly, before sighing. 'Fine, tomorrow night.'

Lyserg nodded. 'Get some sleep Ren, you need it.'

'Ren nodded, standing up and unfurling his wings. 'I'll return to take over the noon shift. When you return to Etherea, find Horo and Silva, tell them and prepare them for my plan.'

'I will Ren, I promise,' Lyserg said, settling against the tree trunk. 'Take care.'

Ren gave a short no before jumping into the air and ascending rapidly. He'd have to work quickly before noon tomorrow.

Hao yawned quietly, carrying the sleeping Opacho on one hip and a glass of water in his other hand as he ascended the stairs. The little Demon had fallen asleep on his lap while he was telling her a story before she went to bed, and Hao didn't want to wake her up. So he passed by his own room to enter the smaller one half way down the corridor, entering what essentially was a colour explosion: the walls painted orange and yellow alternatively with green and pink and purple swirling patterns rising up the walls like climbing ivy. A pale blue ceiling was above him and a fluffy lilac carpet tickled his bare feet as he moved towards the custom made four poster single bed, the pale pink drapes swept back so he could easily tuck her in under the thin white quilt that had watermelons dotted all over the sheets. Half waking with all the movements, Opacho blinked open her eyes blearily and smiled at Hao.

'Night night...' she mumbled.

'Goodnight,' he replied, ruffling her hair and setting the water glass on her small bed side cabinet before making his way back through the untidy floor space and, before switching off the lights, glanced back at the sleeping girl, as if double checking she was still there.

Returning to his own room, he checked the bedside clock for the time, noting it was closing in on midnight and that Yoh appeared to be asleep on what Hao was starting to call "his" side of the bed. He sighed at the idea, remembering the complications of having the Angel here: he couldn't keep him forever – he'd either have to kill him or let him go, and neither of those options were particularly appealing to Hao.

Shaking his head, he ignored Yoh in favour of going about his nightly routine: although he would usually take longer in the shower, relaxing under the hot steady flow of water, tonight he just wanted to go to bed. He had taken a bath with Yoh this morning anyway – fuck, had it only just been this morning? He must have set a new record for his day: bathe an Angel, discover said Angel was his biggest fucking weakness, have a meeting with Demons, kill one of his own Demons, remember things he'd rather not remember because of fucking Faust... he hated this damn drama.

Shutting off the water after fifteen minutes, he wrapped a towel around his waist and dragged a brush through his wet hair, braiding it quickly and leaving the bathroom. Yoh hadn't moved from his position, and Hao was beginning to think he was faking it, waiting to see what the Demon would do. However, all he did do was select a pair of pyjama bottoms from his wardrobe and dry himself off quickly, slipping into the plain black cotton and forgoing the matching shirt. Only then did he climb into bed and settle under the covers, far enough away from Yoh so that they weren't touching at all: it had been a trying day, so if Yoh expected to be suddenly jumped, he would be in for a surprise. Throwing one arm over so it rested across his eyes, he sighed, contemplating what he should do: he wasn't exactly the type for heart-to-hearts.

'You ok?' he muttered, not expecting a reply, so it was rather a surprise when Yoh, still with his back to Hao, voiced an affirmative.

'The medicine Faust give you working?'

'Uh huh... it's bearable now.'

'Good... Good.'

Neither of them spoke after that, separated by less than a mere foot of bed space, and yet so far apart it would seem impossible to bridge the gap, all the while unaware of the Demon sneaking into Opacho's room. With vengeance in their thoughts and a tiny glass vial in hand, the sleeping little Demon rolled over in her sleep contently, oblivious to the danger at hand.


	13. Chapter 13

***READ THIS - **yes, _**ALL **_of it. Or **I delete this story forever***

**You have been warned**

**- Aluxra**

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This isn't an update: this story is still discontinued, I'm not in this fandom any more.

However, I was looking over the plan I made for the story and the characters backgrounds and I wanted to ask those who are still reading this story (which I know you are - I've seen the traffic stats on the story) **what do you guys think of this turning into an original story?**

No, I'm not doing the whole E.L. James thing, trying to get published. I just happen to have a fictionpress account which I've not used and I'll admit that this story does have a relatively good set up.

**There are a few things, however, I need to clear up about this:**

**1.** I'm not saying I'm going to rush off and write the whole story over again: this is just an idea I'm mulling over, because while I'm not interested in this fandom any more, I still think I could work the plot.

**2.** If I **did **decide to write it from scratch again, I would change some things. In particular, the scene at the end of chapter five where there is implied rape. Looking back, I actually hate myself for writing it and wish I hadn't: it's not a good plot point and the story could easily do without it.

In general, in fact, I would change some things so that it would be more reader friendly to older teens as well as readers my own age (early twenties) so any romantic aspect would go down to T-rating, though the violence/gore would probably stay at M due to the fight scenes which would inevitably happen between characters.

**3. **I might mess around with characters gender/sex/whatever you want to call it if you're being PC. Don't jump down my throat about it, you all know I have no problem with any sexuality, I'm just trying to figure out what would be best for an Original story. If I didn't, I'd probably make the relationship between the angel and the demon more platonic, due to an idea I had that never came to fruition in later chapters.

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So, recap: I'm not writing in this fandom again. **I'm not going off to write this as an original story right now**. I'm not even sure it would work.

I'm just asking you guys, if on the off chance it did become an original story, with all these very obvious changes (the characters) would you guys agree with it? Disagree with it? Are there any changes you'd hate seeing? Want to see?

Because, let's face it guys - this story is three years old, I was still a teenager when I wrote it - you guys were probably teenagers (maybe you still are) when you read it, but we're older now and can hopefully see the flaws in the stuff we wrote/read three years ago and say - yeah, I can do better than that.

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Obviously leave you're opinions in the reviews, maybe check out my other stories (my latest one for the Avengers Universe seems to have a lot of ghost readers :D - you think they're scared of me? You guys know I'm pretty harmless 83)

And yeah, sorry for the false hope you guys probably had when you saw a chapter update: I wrote the warning at the top in case you guys saw the "this isn't an update" and turned tail and ran.


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